My name is Michael, born and raised in Rhode Island as a first generation Portuguese son. In a home surrounded by the Portuguese community, there was always an expectation. An expectation to accomplish certain goals, to be portrayed in a particular way, to be perceived as successful, to not show weakness, to be married with kids by a certain age, to avoid the words depressed, stressed, suicidal or even anything relating to LGBTQ. As I grew older, I realized mental health has no boundaries and many cultures choose to avoid this battle. Our goal is to bring awareness and normalization to the Portuguese community across the globe. If you are cultural, you understand the stigma that there is surrounding mental health and all the barriers that come with it. Our parents and grandparents always pulled through the challenges they faced, many not seeking help when it was available which led to addiction, divorce and even death. Does "Isso Passa", "Não preciso de ajuda", "Não é nada" sound familiar? As we all face our own internal battles, I was looking for a way to express a positive message in the Portuguese language. That is where the idea came to fruition, creating stickers with expressions that can be stuck on anywhere and even given to someone, like your parents. With positive feedback and support we will grow these into clothing, accessories and more! Our culture has a way to overlook and pretend nothing is wrong, it our time to change this. This is just the beginning of changing the way our community looks at mental health, making our generation the first to create a legacy for the next to end the cultural stigma.
~WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT~
