A NEW mental health project aiming to upskill West Yorkshire’s Punjabi communities has been launched.

Social Connections has been developed by Taraki – which supports Punjabi communities with their mental health – and Movember, the leading men’s health charity.

The pilot project will deliver peer support training to local mental health champions, 18 of which will be trained over a six-month period.

The projects builds on Taraki’s Chai in the City project, which started in 2018.

With Movember's support of £66,000, the learnings from Chai in the City will be condensed into a toolkit to help develop local organisations.

Amrita Sohal, Mental Health Champion, Heera Foundation, said: “With an increasing awareness of mental health within the Punjabi and wider South Asian community, we are grateful for the opportunity to work and train with Taraki.

“We are excited by the potential of the programme where Punjabi men can build community, feel accepted and understood, as well as learn from each other’s experiences.”

Shuranjeet Singh, the founder of Taraki, added: “I’m excited as this allows us to build on our Chai in the City work.

“Our ambition is to build a UK-wide network of skilled, confident and capable Punjabi men’s peer support facilitators, working in their local communities so that there is greater level of support and care.”