Throat singing, sewing and mental health: the common thread

Oct 7, 2021

When we sat down with Tooma Laisa, the Program Coordinator at Embrace Life Council to understand more about this year’s Mental Illness Awareness Week- we didn’t expect to be talking about throat singing.

But we quickly learned how Tooma’s passion for Inuit Culture and performing arts has inspired her connection with mental wellness. Now, she is leading by example with Embrace Life Council to support her community’s mental health.

Here is what we learned from Tooma about the importance of cultural arts, connecting with community and mental wellness.

Transforming art to activism

I got into mental health through performing arts. It was my escape and that’s how I connected to mental health.

I take mental health to heart- music and art that’s how I felt better, and why I joined Embrace Life Council.

Tooma defines caring for your mental health as what you do to take care of yourself. Her understanding of this deepened with the pandemic as she could no longer perform in person. She took this time to learn new skills such as sewing. Through this she further appreciated the importance of artwork to her self-care and overall well-being.

Now Tooma applies these core values of connecting to cultural arts and prioritizing mental wellness in her work.

Embrace Life Council in the community

As the Program Coordinator Tooma helps run programs for suicide prevention and to promote mental wellness. One of the many popular programs is a sewing workshop. Like singing for Tooma, sewing has become a way for the individuals in this group to take care of their mental wellness.

We make it a safe place, and we see a lot of women come and really enjoy the company. It’s not just about sewing- it’s spending time with other people who you can talk to. What they don’t realize is the time you spend sewing and the time they spend together in the space, they are creating a safe space for themselves and a bond with the group.

Tooma preparing for a crafting workshop

Tooma preparing for a crafting workshop

Tooma and her team work with a number of different programs and projects throughout the year. They provide welcoming and safe activities to care for their communities’ healthy mental state. Tooma is optimistic that together through research, programming, and being kind, we can create safe and healthy communities.

If every community worked together towards, safe, welcoming spaces that will allow you feel comfortable- if there was more of that in our communities, for our homes, ourselves and our minds, things may feel less hard, lonely and heartbreaking.

Mental health programs across the North

We are proud to continue our partnership with Embrace Life Council and support the important work they do in communities across Nunavut. To find out more about programs being offered this Mental Illness Awareness Week and throughout the year in your community check out some resources below.

Nunavut 