In “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World”, former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy emphasizes that:
In order to avoid a social recession, we must understand the hidden impact of loneliness on our health and the social power of community.
The goal for Proyecto Solace is not only to avoid a social recession of Latinx people but also to create a space for those who want to discuss their mental health journey with others. And to support, elevate and trust each other in the process — strangers, acquaintances, and/or “internet” friends alike.
Furthermore, Proyecto Solace is dedicated to supporting all paths to mental health wellness — not just therapy. This is in no way minimizing the importance of therapy, but many factors can block our access to qualified therapists such as our financial situation, our histories, our identity, and more.
We are firm believers that social connections and transparent discussions, especially now, can be a great step to explore mental health and emotional balance.
We began our path as a collective Latinx safe space on Christmas Eve when emails were sent out. After the New Year, we started introducing each other on Slack. Powerful and moving introductions of solidarity and vulnerability about Latinx mental health. We began to (re)connect with each other. This, indeed, was the beginning of a safe space.
But Slack is hard.
We know that. Furthermore, it’s harder to talk about life — it’s ups and downs — there. And discuss mental health when we have work, life, family, and other responsibilities on Slack? Much harder.
In social and human settings, everyone talks about circles — circles of trust, circles of friendship, community circles. But there is more than circles in this world.
That is why today we are introducing Rhombicos — short for rhombicosidodecahedron, one of the most complicated and beautiful shapes in the world. Rhombicos will be consistent, safe online meetings for Proyecto Solace members that will include themes of
Identity
Therapy
Joy
Work
Trauma — facilitated by a Latinx professional.
And more.
Join our Rhombicos by becoming a Proyecto Solace member! Please email laura@proyectosolace.org to join or DM us at @ProyectoSolace to learn more on Twitter.
Last, but very important note. Our intention is to become a 501(c)(3).
Why? We are concerned with the sudden growth of mental health tech focused on the privileged few and startups that seek to monetize the mental health of people during a pandemic.
Therefore, Proyecto Solace won’t be requiring paid membership to participate. Our goal is that of social impact and community healing, not venture-backed profits.