Critical Assessment by Suneeta Jobanputra

The topic was very timely as the community at large has just been through (not over yet) the pandemic experience that made us acutely aware of the mental implications of our experiences and the importance of the same for our wellbeing. Community was ready to explore the broader aspects of mental health and related issues.

The venue was very well suited in location, space, set-up, and services it offered. Food served was good and adequate. Additional attention could be paid to specialised medical needs.

The reminders sent to the registrants was great and very clear.

Volunteer presence and engagement was very visible and impressive. The registrations were well managed.

The package provided to attendees was neatly put together and presented. Some important takeaways would have been useful inclusions to the package, like of mental health resources, list of free service, list of sliding scale services, list of emergency services etc.

The incentives provided (the yoga mats and free yoga class) were great and very appropriate for the topic being covered.

The initiation into the conference with a yoga session was great and well received.

The content covered by the conference was very broad. A lot of great information was provided, condensed in a short time and this may have impacted attendees’ ability to fully absorb the same. A lot of great information of community resources was provided.

The speakers were very knowledgeable and experienced. They spoke well and provided great information.

There were six main speakers and two panel discussions and three impromptu speakers in a span of less than 7 hours. The topics covered were broad and varied. This felt like too much to absorb. Simpler and more focused approach may better benefit the attendees.

Management/Moderation of the stage activities including the introduction of the presenters was well done. There were many moderators and MCs through the day which did not allow for a clean stage presence and gets the participants confused and disinterested.

Interactive learning leads to engagement and impactful lasting learning. Opportunities could be provided for this by making the sessions interactive. Dividing the participants into smaller groups to share thoughts, identify needs and possible solutions etc. can be a good practice for future endeavours.

The flow of the presented information felt abrupt and disjointed. It would have helped to flow from an introduction to the topic of mental health, areas of mental wellness challenges, levels of severity to prevention, support and cure. Since this was a presentation to general public and not a group of specialists, a gentle flow from simple to complex would have supported a good comprehension of the content.

Attendee participation was minimum to none. Opportunity was created for the same via two panel discussions, however there were only few minutes available for attendees’ questions or comments. Little available time was taken up by the moderator’s questions.

The conclusion of the day could have provided a gist of the take-aways from the presentations and some thoughts for further self-exploration. Instead, the last presentation was too dilute, generic and long. The participants should leave with a clear message.

Suneeta Jobanputra