Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gayathri, Sanjana Vanka, Kavula. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Gayathri, Sanjana, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Although we were compelled to work in women’s mental health after researching the issue, this was solidified after serving on its frontlines. As a grassroots organization, a lot of our initial work surrounded an emotional wellbeing campaign, informing the public and fostering community discussions. With each presentation, we realized just how big the gap in knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of women’s mental health conditions was, especially concerning its inaccessibility. However, we also saw the immediate impact of our efforts. Many women who previously isolated were now finding their voices, seeking help, and sharing their powerful stories. It was these interactions that helped us truly discover our purpose as advocates, educators, and allies in the field of women’s mental health.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Project Pink is a 501(c) organization dedicated to bridging the gap between women and accessible mental health care. Run by Dallas natives, we are hoping to alleviate the city of its title as “Worst Mental Health City America” while simultaneously improving outcomes across the globe. This work ranges from FunAsia radio appearances to destigmatize mental health in the South Asian Community to political advocacy to alleviate local and national level institutional pressures to entering competitions to innovatively address the problem at hand. We are currently expanding our team, and are looking forward to broadening our impact!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The majority of our work centers around our 3 As: awareness, accessibility, and advocacy. These key values kept us centered on our mission throughout our work as a nonprofit. We have worked hard to bring attention to women’s mental health, whether through our emotional well being campaign or multiple media features, informing thousands in the process. We’ve also striven to foster accessibility, hosting community mental health sessions with speakers from NAMI and TXMHR over a free hot meal, raising hundreds of dollars to donate menstrual products to rural Uganda for girls to continue their education, and chartering clubs across the nation to geographically expand understanding of women’s mental health. Furthermore, at Project Pink, we are not only advocates for women’s mental health at the social level, but also institutional, influencing school board policy, and working with city council members to make a difference. The 3 As were incredibly impactful on our journey, and we’d encourage anyone early in their journey to always remain true to their “why.”
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We are currently in the process of expansion, and would love to help more people around the world charter a chapter of Project Pink. If you are interested in our mission, send us an email at projectpinktx@gmail.com!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.projectpinkfoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectpinkfoundation/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-pink-foundation/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
