2026 Mental Health Week
Dear Members and Friends,
This week marks Mental Health Week across Canada, led by the Canadian Mental Health Association. The message this year is simple, yet deeply powerful: Come Together. It reminds us that connection is not just a social luxury - it is essential to our mental well-being.
Many of us in this community understand what it means to live far from home. The distance from parents, siblings, lifelong friends, and familiar spaces can sometimes feel overwhelming. There are moments when the silence is louder than the noise around us. Moments when you feel present, yet unseen. Connected online, yet alone in reality. You are not alone in that feeling. Across Canada, many people report experiencing loneliness, and it continues to affect mental health in quiet but significant ways. But there is also hope, and it lies in something within our control: meaningful human connection.
Mental Health Week calls us to take small, intentional steps toward one another. Not grand gestures. Just real ones.
A phone call that goes beyond “How are you?”
A visit instead of a text.
An invitation to sit, share a meal, and talk.
Experience and evidence before us continue to point out that it’s not the number of people around us that matters; it’s the depth of connection we build. Even simple, genuine moments can ease stress, build resilience, and remind us that we belong. As a community here in Edmonton and the surrounding areas, we must be deliberate. We cannot afford to wait for a connection to happen; we must create it.
One of the ways ICAE has intentionally responded to this need is by creating community zones within the city—Omambala, Ichaka, Orji, Nkwu, Oguta, Ogene, and Ogbunike Cave. These zones are designed to bring members and Ndi Igbo closer in smaller, more personal circles, making it easier to build relationships, check in on one another, and foster a true sense of belonging. If you have yet to join your zone,: Click here for WhatsApp links
We encourage every member to engage within their zone. Show up. Reach out. Participate. These smaller units are not just administrative structures; they are support systems.
Let’s build circles of care.
Let’s look out for one another.
Let’s create spaces where no one feels invisible.
In this new home we are building in Canada, connection is not optional; it is survival. It is healing. It is strength. And together, we can ensure that no member of our community feels alone, unnoticed, or forgotten.
As a leadership, we remain committed to strengthening these bonds and creating intentional spaces where every member of ICAE is seen, supported, and valued. We call on all members to join us in this shared responsibility of building a healthier, more connected community—one relationship at a time.
Let’s come together - not just this week, but every day.
Executive Board
