CAMH: The Centre For Addiction And Mental Health

Location: CAMH: The Centre For Addiction And Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2018, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Ajani Charles has worked as a mentor through CAMH: The Centre For Addiction And Mental Health, Canada’s largest mental health institution, since 2017.

Initially, he engaged with clients through the Sports & Gym Group weekly through the Learning Employment Advocacy Recreation Network program, otherwise known as LEARN, which was a program for young people experiencing early signs of psychosis.

Before the program ended in 2019, LEARN offered a wide range of services that helped clients decide their employment needs and find employment, meet their educational goals, become more active socially, and participate in leisure activities.

Among many other variables, Ajani’s engagement in LEARN has been one of the most significant sources of inspiration for his mental health advocacy.

Ajani was also an instructor that taught CAMH clients various photography-based technical skills while critiquing their work and teaching them the basics of Adobe Photoshop through the Photovoice program.

He has also worked as an event photographer for Workman Arts. This multidisciplinary arts organization is a part of CAMH and promotes a greater understanding of mental health and addiction issues through creation and presentation.

Workman Arts support artists with lived experience through peer-to-peer arts education, public presentations and partnerships with the broader arts community.

Location: CAMH: The Centre For Addiction And Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2018, Photographer: Ajani Charles