MPN is among 136 organizations to receive funding for COVID-19 relief efforts from the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
(Santa Clarita, California, April 22, 2022). The Minority Psychology Network (MPN) is excited to announce that the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) has selected them as a Women’s Recovery Response grantee. MPN, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in minority communities through education and expanded access to culturally competent care, will use the funds for their new Women’s Self-Care and Financial Management Initiative. As California continues to navigate COVID-19 recovery, this initiative will serve Los Angeles-area minority women and girls at the intersection of financial literacy and mental wellbeing.
“We are so grateful to the Commission for their support of our Women’s Self-Care and Financial Management Initiative, which is a natural extension of the programming we’ve been doing throughout the pandemic,” said Successful Brim, the founder and CEO of MPN. “Through culturally relevant education and connection to a supportive resource network, we’ll empower women to care for their mental health and work toward greater economic security.” The initiative will have two components:
- Self-Care Sundays: MPN will bring together people who identify as women for free monthly gatherings blending psychoeducation and career development in a relaxed, informal setting. “The goal of these events is to motivate professional women to have a productive, positive workweek,” Brim explained. Each will feature a speaker who will give a presentation focused on a mental health-related topic, to be followed by time to network.
- Financial Wellness Courses (currently accepting new students): MPN team members and volunteers from our two partner organizations (The Women of Action, LLC, and Pocket of Change, LLC) will co-teach this free course, designed to serve anyone who identifies as a minority woman. The eight-module curriculum will cover an array of topics related to both financial literacy and mental health—“two subjects people frequently struggle to discuss, and for which the stigma can be particularly severe in minority communities,” Brim commented. MPN will offer participants an independent, unbiased financial curriculum, along with components that focus on self-care, stress management, and other mental health topics, in an enjoyable and engaging environment.
In terms of infections, death rates, and economic fallout, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people of color—including when it comes to adverse emotional effects like stress, anxiety, and depression. Among people of color, women have experienced harsher consequences than their male counterparts, both financially and in terms of mental health. “Data from the California Budget and Policy Center shows that six in 10 Black and Latinx Californian women lived in households that experienced income loss during the pandemic,” Brim explained. “All of this can take a toll on mental health—and studies have consistently shown us that mental health and economic security go hand in hand.” With statistics like these in mind, MPN designed the Women’s Self-Care and Financial Management Initiative to provide additional support and resources to some of the people who have struggled the most throughout the pandemic. Classes and events will begin this month, and the initial cohort is still accepting new students.
The California Commission on Women and Girls, founded in 1965, is committed to addressing and advocating for the needs of women and girls in the state, from equal pay to sexual assault response. Their CCSWG Women’s Recovery Response program is the first gender-specific investment by the state in women’s recovery since the pandemic began; the Commission received more than 6,000 applications from across the state, and selected only 136. “I’m thrilled and humbled that MPN is in the company of these other organizations that share our commitment to driving a more equitable economic recovery,” Brim said. “As a female-founded and female-led non-profit, MPN’s goals and values align perfectly with those of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. We’re so excited to be a part of these efforts to empower women and bring them out of the pandemic stronger than ever.”
For more information on MPN, to support our work, or to sign up for one of our programs, you can visit our website. Visit the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to download the Minority Psychology Network app. To learn more about the CCSWG Women’s Recovery Response, visit their website.
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PRESS CONTACT:
The Minority Psychology Network
Successful Brim, mpn@theminoritypsychologynetwork.org