Mental Walk
Discover how our Mental Walk blends movement, art and nature conservation to champion mental health and community healing.
Walking for Mental Health & Healing for the Planet
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In alignment with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, Afrikala Art proudly presents Mental Walk is a vibrant, annual wellness initiative held every 10th October to mark World Mental Health Day and Mazingira Day in Kenya. This initiative blends movement, creative expression, mental health awareness and environmental conservation into a community-driven event designed to transform lives.
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Mental Walk is not just an event. It is a powerful statement that mental health matters, that suicide and other mental health-related casualties can be prevented and that healing is holistic, spanning our minds, bodies, communities and the environments we live in.
Objectives
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Raise Awareness – Promote self-care and open dialogue about mental health.
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Suicide Prevention – Advocate for mental health first aid among young people.
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Policy Advocacy – Push for subsidised and youth-accessible mental health services.
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Education Integration – Encourage mental health inclusion in school curricula.
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Environmental Healing – Use tree-planting to support climate wellness and mental rejuvenation.
Why Mental Walk Matters
Young people across Kenya face increasing mental health challenges, including stress, depression and suicidal ideation fueled by trauma, economic hardship and academic pressure. At the same time, access to affordable, youth-friendly mental health services remains limited.
Mental Walk offers a safe, creative space to speak up, move together, heal together and plant hope - literally.
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By integrating tree-planting activities, we remind our communities that just like trees, we too need nurturing environments to thrive. We believe that green spaces, movement and creativity can play a vital role in preventing mental health crises and supporting overall well-being.
What to Expect
Mental Walk combines interactive, art-based wellness activities with physical movement and access to free health services provided by our partners.
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Main Activities Include:
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Mental Health Awareness Walk
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Stretching, Yoga & Self-Care Activities
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Tree Planting
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Dance & Game Therapy
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Art Therapy Corners
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Blood Donation Drives
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Non-Communicable Disease Screening
Impact & Reach
We aim to reach over 3,000 individuals annually with relevant mental health tools, counselling and physical health check-ups. Our previous editions have laid a strong foundation and every year we aim to scale further, especially in reaching youth in urban areas and students in educational institutions.
Long-Term Vision
Mental Walk is here to stay. With your partnership and support, we commit to making Mental Walk a national movement, training peer counsellors in our communities and institutions, building intergenerational support networks and planting thousands of trees in the name of mental and environmental wellness.
Join Us
Whether you’re a partner, sponsor, participant or volunteer, walk with us. Heal with us. Let’s make every step count for mental health, community and the planet.
