Who We Are
WYMA is a global nonprofit that support, connect, and enlighten youth throughout adolescence to adulthood with their mental well-being.
Our History
2017
Dec. 23 Established our official account on WeChat (Chinese Media)
2018
Jan. 29 Started to recruit members and opened online application system.
Mar. 18 First organization meeting
Apr. 15 Held a mental health carnival in ___ and had __ attendees from __ psychology clubs in Beijing.
May 20 Initiated the Énlight Journal, collecting members’ introspection and insights.
Sep. 19 Started the “Dear MailBox” project. Provided advices to fellows and encouraged them to express self by exchanging letters with them.
2019
Apr. new activities, including the Embracer Club, Support Group, Échoir Exclusive, etc.
2020
Nov. Commenced working on the transformation plan for the WYMA organization
2021
Jun. 21 Formulated our mission and culture: “To One” ( hyperlink to be added: link to the mission page)
Jul. 21 Publicized the WYMA Peer Guiding product and provided services to our first group of clients.
Oct. 12. Finished NPO registration in the State of North Carolina, US, and officially became WYMA Inc.
Vision & Mission
WYMA was founded with the understanding that the mental health problems in China are fueled by three barriers – cost, access, stigma.
Cost
In China, an estimated 173 million people suffer from mental disorders, according to the latest available official data from 2015. This number was limited to only 90 million in 2009. While mental health issues has become increasingly prominent alongside other illness in the recent years, the exorbitant amount of cost has hindered families to seek for prompt assistance for recovery. The absence of coverage for health insurance in China has shut the door away from young students and adult to reach out.
Access
Looking for mental health support in China can be overwhelming. Despite the growing number of those who are afflicted by it, the country’s service provider (namely psychotherapist, psychiatrist, mental health social workers) to patient ratio remains very low. Unlike the counseling industry in the U.S., the lack of professional certificate regulations rendered the counseling market full of practitioner with limited hands-on experiences.
Stigma
Even with the growing access and lower financial burden, many are still reluctant to seek help due to implicit and/or explicit stigmatization toward mental health issues and service users as studies supported. Reported barriers originated by stigmatization has prevented patients to actively receive social support from family and communities, which hold indispensable weights for recovery.
Our Mission
WYMA devotes itself to solve the inequality of mental health resources in China through combining research and activism. We support our clients using peer power, connect social resources to advance mental health education and services, and enlighten inspirations and resonances.
Our Value
To Everyone: Our support and service are available for everyone.
To Another One: We strive to make visible changes by reaching and helping even one more individual.
To No One: We hope that helplessness afflicts no one when they need psychological support.
WYMA 