COMMUNITY News:

The community is invited to attend the 2025 Dances of India’s production, “The Little Indian Mermaid”, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5 at Duane Smith Auditorium.

The show will feature students of The Family YMCA Kathak program, and guest dancers and actors from the Los Alamos community.

No tickets are required, but donations are welcome. This year, all proceeds from the show will go to the Y Latin America’s program for youth mental health, ELEVA!

Indian snacks will be available for sale during intermission.

MENTAL HEALTH IN LATIN AMERICA

Half of mental disorders start before the age of 14, with approximately one in every five children, adolescents and young individuals being diagnosed with a mental disorder (PAHO, 2020). In Latin America and the Caribbean, there are 230 million young people, making the population of 10 to 24-year-olds the largest in the continent´s history, and it is projected to decrease by 2030 (PAHO, 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an even greater emphasis on the need to promote mental health issues and ensure access to mental health programs for all individuals, with a particular focus on youth.

The Latin American and Caribbean Alliance of YMCAs launched ELEVA! (“Lift-Up!”). This preventive program empowers youth through peer-led interventions and uses a community-based approach to address these issues. It tackles topics such as self-care, emotional education, stress, depression, anxiety, among others, to improve mental health and prevent mental health problems. The purpose of “ELEVA!” is to contribute to improving mental health and preventing mental health issues among youth through awareness and destigmatization: “talking to know, knowing to understand, and understanding to prevent.”

To learn more, watch a video by Eleva Mental Health in Honduras and Uruguay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_lT4PjqTvg

Come enjoy a colorful showcase of various Indian classical and folk dances and celebrate the start of the arts and culture month in Los Alamos.