By Kisean Joseph
A groundbreaking mental health initiative aimed at strengthening community resilience and addressing rising suicide rates among youth is set to launch in Antigua and Barbuda.
The “Mango Bucket Project” — spearheaded by Antiguan-born psychotherapist and former United Nations official Jamion Knight — will introduce the nation’s first suicide prevention hotline alongside other comprehensive mental health support services.
The initiative comes in response to alarming statistics revealed in a 2021 report showing that nearly 20 percent of teenagers in Antigua and Barbuda between the ages of 13 and 15 had seriously considered taking their lives.
“When one listens to the radio or reads the newspapers every day, it becomes clear that we must act urgently to support persons who are struggling,” Knight said.
“After analyzing the report and speaking to teachers, pastors, and other key actors across the country about the challenges confronting young people, I have concluded that we need to do much more to support those in distress.”
The Mango Bucket Project, operating under Knight’s newly established Mental Fitness Centre, derives its name from a local saying, “One, one full bucket.”
As he explained: “If persons and communities across the country could make a small contribution to improving the mental fitness and resilience of the nation, we can collectively transform the lives of thousands of people who are facing significant and crushing pressures on a daily basis.”
The project’s comprehensive approach includes three main components: a national suicide prevention hotline; a Leadership Academy focused on resilience and mental fitness; and community-based psychological first aid teams whose members will be trained to provide support during emergencies and disasters, including hurricane-related trauma.
Knight identifies multiple factors contributing to the mental health crisis among youth, including bullying, communication gaps with parents, economic pressures, and lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These challenges become much more profound when you don’t have someone to talk to who’s not going to judge you,” he noted.
The initiative emphasizes collaboration with existing mental health organizations and practitioners.
“Collaboration is a very important word; it’s been a key theme throughout my professional career and in my personal life,” Knight said, while acknowledging the work of local mental health advocates like Chaneil Imhoff and Mary John, who recently received recognition from the Governor General for her mental health activism.
One of the project’s goals is to train 10,000 Antiguans in basic counselling skills, including active listening, over the next five years.
“Beyond the hotline, beyond offering workshops and seminars, it is important to start changing our culture to one that is more empathic. When someone says ‘something has happened to me’, my first response should not be to judge, would not be to laugh; my first response should be compassionate,” Knight said.
The Mango Bucket Project’s impact will be measured through evaluation surveys and long-term follow-up with service recipients, tracking stress levels, depression indices, and overall well-being metrics. The initiative also plans to explore offering services in Spanish to support the country’s significant Spanish-speaking community.
Drawing from his international experience with the United Nations, Knight envisions the project extending beyond Antigua and Barbuda to other countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Syria, Kenya, and Rwanda.
However, the focus remains on building resilient and empathic communities that can effectively support individuals facing mental health challenges.