As a kaleidoscope of colours takes to the skies of Cape Town in kite form, so too will hope for mental health awareness:
Cape Town, South Africa (03 October 2024) — The Cape Town International Kite Festival is far more than a celebration of kites. For many, it’s an occasion of openness, not unlike the skies where the kites get to roam. It’s also a gathering of strength and rising above that which attempts to hold us down, just like the kite’s fight against its string. In the world of mental health movements, the Kite Festival continues to play a big role, one that’s been cultivated for over 30 years.
Back in 1994, Cape Mental Health (an organisation that provides mental health services to vulnerable children and adults in disadvantaged communities) decided on the Cape Town Kite Festival as its flagship event. Over the years, it has created a freeing space for artists, ambassadors, kiters, volunteers and the mental health care community.
Because October is Mental Health Awareness Month, the festival coincides with the most important time for mental health advocacy across the world.
Cape Mental Health is a champion of advocacy and support, aiming to provide interventions that restore hope, build resilience, and empower individuals and communities.
The theme for this year’s Cape Town Kite Festival is aptly ‘Hope on a String’, and each kite string tug reminds us of the inner strength and resilience within us all.
Kite Festival Run Down:
23 October: Set to be held at Heideveld Sports Field on the Cape Flats, children with intellectual disabilities from CMH’s Special Education & Care Centres, along with Grade R learners and preschoolers from Heideveld, will all join forces for the Community Fly Day.
26 October: The EduKite Competition will see primary schools enjoy a kite-making and kite-decorating competition, with the prize-giving ceremony set to be held at Curro Century City, supporting mental health awareness.
27 October: Melkbosstrand Beach will ignite with colour and kiters as local and international professionals set their kites to the sky for the Pop-Up Fly Event.
How to Support #HopeOnAString for Cape Mental Health
Cape Mental Health has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support its imperative work. Any donations will make a significant impact in providing mental health support and building resilience in those who most need it, and several celebrities, including Majozi and Kim Syster, have rallied behind the cause!
You can support the campaign here.
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