Mental Health Awareness Month, which begins on May 1 and ends on May 31 every year, presents a key opportunity to focus on finding the right support when it comes to emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. A good way to begin is bu finding the right information, from sites to publications, and one such source to start off with if you are in the UAE is EMPWR MAG (which is short for "Empower Magazine").
Considered a leading magazine centered around mental health and wellness, EMPWR is first of its kind in the Middle East. The UAE-based magazine focuses on mental health related subjects, in addition to information action-based articles that can help readers improve their mental health and wellbeing. In addition to publishing articles, the brand also uploads podcasts touching on various subjects ranging from parenting to the workspace. These are available via the podcast channel "EMPWR House."
EMPWR MAG is the brainchild of Ally Salama who launched the magazine brand on March 1, 2019. The Cairo native is the current mental health ambassador of the Middle East, in addition to being a social artistpreneur and a podcast host. Through EMPWR MAG, he hopes to reach out to youths and millennials with informative articles, while aiming to make his magazine the largest mental health medium in the region.
As a former student of Ryerson University, Salama became the recipient of Ryerson's Bright Ideas Scholarship Award in Entrepreneurship, as well as the Ryerson's Mental Health Outreach Champion Award. Through his achievements, he was able to launch his brand as a startup.
The incredible @Embrace_Lebanon is at the forefront of providing mental health support in its home country.https://t.co/QOSFOeesKr
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) May 9, 2022
In March 2022, EMPWR also expanded its services into the workspace. In fact, Salama would announce the "Peace and Purpose" wellness program in collaboration with Universities of Canada in Egypt. The first of its kind in the region, the three-phase program was developed to provide entrepreneurs with the right tools, while helping them achieve a sense of confidence in the workspace.
Undoubtedly, EMPWR MAG is blazing trails in its coverage on mental health and wellness in the region; its recognition can't be ignored. For its contributions, in fact, the magazine has since earned recognition from major organizations and institutions including Harvard, the World Federation for Mental Health, the United Nations (UN), and the World Health Organization (WHO).