Healing Together: Expanding Mental Health Support Across the Grenadines
The Hub Collective Inc. has been awarded CAD $50,000 from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) to implement Healing Together: Building Gender-Responsive, Trauma-Informed Mental Health Systems and Awareness Post-Hurricane Beryl through Psychosocial Support, Community Resilience, and a National Campaign in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The seven-month initiative will roll out across Union Island, Mayreau, Canouan, and Bequia, strengthening psychosocial support in communities hardest hit by Hurricane Beryl.
Workshops and programming will kick off in Union Island and Mayreau in October 2025, continue in Canouan in December, and conclude in Bequia in January 2026. Activities include Psychological First Aid (PFA) training, up to 80 one-on-one therapy sessions (both in-person and virtual), somatic and nature-based workshops, and a national awareness campaign designed to reduce stigma and normalise mental health care.
“Healing Together is about building resilience and equity from the ground up,” said Jessica Jaja, Joint Project Manager of Healing Together. “As a grassroots organisation based in Bequia, we began expanding our support to the Southern Grenadines in early 2025. This grant now enables us to deepen that work by providing continuity to community members on each island while also strengthening linkages and supportive mechanisms with mental health professionals nationally and across the diaspora.”
Responding to urgent needs after Hurricane Beryl and in the era of Climate Catastrophe
On 1 July 2024, Hurricane Beryl swept through the Southern Grenadines, displacing families, destroying homes, and inflicting long-term trauma. While the physical damage was widely documented, the psychological impact was equally profound. Survivors across Union Island, Mayreau, Canouan, and Bequia reported grief, anxiety, and post-disaster stress, compounded by limited access to mental health services.
In response, The Hub Collective partnered with MindTHRIVE Co., a trauma-informed mental health and wellness organisation, supported by Sol Relief, to launch a pilot version of Healing Together in mid-2025. The pilot saw high community turnout and strong demand for counselling across the Grenadines, a vastly underserved demographic. Feedback from participants underscored the urgent need for safe spaces, trained facilitators, and accessible follow-up support. These findings shaped the expanded programme now being launched with CFLI funding.
“Our islands cannot wait for care to be modelled from the outside,” said Holly Bynoe, Joint Project Manager of Healing Together. “We must cultivate national autonomy, rooted in self-determination as a path to liberation. In the eye of climate catastrophe, we are called to summon our will, passion, and intellect to resource ourselves, and to deliver programming that is transformative, compassionate, and deeply aware.”
MindTHRIVE founder and mental health consultant for Healing Together, Kimmette Robertson, shares, “The Healing Together pilot represented a powerful first step towards addressing some of the critical mental health needs of residents in the Grenadines post-Beryl. This next phase will expand our reach, deepen support and strengthen pathways to create even more safe spaces that will encourage holistic healing for these communities.”
Building systems of care and awareness
The expanded programme aims not only to provide immediate psychosocial support, but also to establish sustainable, community-led systems of care. Psychological First Aid workshops will continue to train first responders, educators, and community leaders in trauma-informed practices. One-on-one therapy sessions will provide individuals and families with personalised care. At the same time, somatic and nature-based workshops will integrate traditional knowledge, body-based practices, journaling, storytelling, and environmental stewardship to strengthen resilience.
A monthly national column and online awareness series will further elevate the conversation, tackling stigma, promoting wellness, and positioning mental health as a core element of disaster preparedness and recovery. This communications component is expected to reach thousands of Vincentians nationwide and within the diaspora, reinforcing that emotional well-being is as critical as physical reconstruction.
“The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives is proud to partner with The Hub Collective on this vital project,” said Stephanie Sprott, Political Counsellor for the High Commission of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and CFLI Fund Manager. She added: “This initiative is a powerful example of how locally led solutions can build resilience and promote healing in the face of climate catastrophe. By expanding access to trauma-informed mental health services and reducing stigma, we are not just helping communities recover — we are empowering them to thrive. This project directly reflects Canada’s commitment to advancing mental health support and gender equality in the Eastern Caribbean.”
Get to Know the Organisations
The Hub Collective Inc., based in Bequia, works at the intersection of arts, healing, and the environment. MindTHRIVE Co., founded by Kimmette Robertson, delivers trauma-informed mental health services tailored to the Caribbean. Together, we promote mental wellness, resilience, and recovery through inclusive, culturally responsive, community-driven approaches.
