I Matter Movement

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]Welcome back to hour number two of Trinidad and Tobago today on [music] TTT. Well, today we're having a very important and heartfelt conversation about mental health, >> [music] >> depression, suicide prevention, and the power of reminding people that they are not alone. In a world where many people suffer silently behind smiles, the I Matter Movement is working to spread a message of hope, compassion, support, and human connection, reminding people that their lives have value and that help, healing, and understanding are possible. The movement was born out of a personal heartbreak and and pain, and the reality that many young people struggle with depression, hopelessness, and emotional battles in silence. Its mission is simple but powerful. You matter, we're here, we care. Well, this morning joining us are two individuals leading that mission. We welcome Satish Ramjattan, founder of the I Matter Movement, and Anela Boodoo Humphrey, lead counseling psychologist with the movement. Good morning. Good morning.

[00:01:02]So, I Matter. You know, I started the show this morning by saying I Matter, You Matter, We All Matter, and now we get to really explain what exactly all of that means. So, Satish, the I Matter Movement was born from a deeply personal experience involving your nephew's battle with depression.

[00:01:18]So, can you share a little bit with us this morning about how that pain really inspired this movement and and transformed your purpose? Definitely.

[00:01:26]Firstly, thank you so very much for allowing us this space and allowing I Matter Movement a space to really share uh emotional experience in my life that's transformed me. Um the I Matter Movement started with seeing someone I love dearly.

[00:01:44]Um he's just not a nephew. He's my eldest nephew. He's someone who is like a son to me. Um and not knowing that he was internally dealing with so much.

[00:01:56]There was no signs at all from him um that would have say to us he needed some help until it was at the last moments when he attempted suicide.

[00:02:10]And from then to now, our family has been battling um this experience um and the initial concept of I Matter Movement was really and truly to raise funds to support him in his journey to India for a critical surgery that he has to undergo.

[00:02:31]And it blossomed into something else based on the overwhelming amount of support we have been receiving from the general public, from family and friends, and so many people are also going through dark places in their lives, and hence the reason I reached out to a number of professionals, a number of um persons who share the same emotions like me um and they want to help help people fight against depression and suicide. Yeah.

[00:03:11]Now, [snorts] uh and now from a psychological perspective, why do so many people suffer with depression and suicidal thoughts daily and silently? Um even when we're surrounded by so much friends and family and love.

[00:03:23]Well, suicide and depression is a mental condition that it does not matter your age, your profession, your background. It affects everyone, right?

[00:03:33]But most of the time persons are afraid because they are afraid of fear of judgment. They are afraid of being considered weak, right?

[00:03:43]Because of the whole stigma behind mental illness, right? We know it's it it's something that persons they don't like to speak about, right? There are also persons who may not be fully aware or understand what they are experiencing to express themselves. Right? And it's simply just because persons they are afraid to ask for help.

[00:04:04]Now, the phrase you matter, it sounds really simple, but for someone who's struggling mentally or emotionally, those words can actually be life-changing.

[00:04:13]Um why is that message so important today?

[00:04:18]We want to focus on I matter because I believe that no matter how many persons tell you that you matter, if it doesn't come from inside of you, from your mental state that I matter, then it will not make the impact it it should make. Yeah, you know, internalizing and really understanding that you have a purpose. I was listening to a podcast this morning while I getting ready um for work and they spoke about, as you talked about before, how silent the struggle can be. And so many people they're just operating as normal or they're grieving for something or they're mourning some loss and you think, okay, they're fine. Um but they're carrying this this tremendous pain and we really don't know. Now, a lot of young people today are struggling as well and and that's that's the sad reality of all of this. Now, Satish, you also spoke about how society often waits until tragedy happens before showing compassion. So, why do you think that people sometimes struggle to support others um while they're still crying out for help?

[00:05:26]From my experience, when this unfolded in November last year, um a popular television host posted it on his page and it was so heartbreaking to see the comments from society um that persons were wishing the worst to happen to him, not knowing what is really unfolding with this young man. And this young man is just 20 years of age. Life is about to happen for him.

[00:05:57]And we really don't pay particular attention to young people who are coming out of secondary school, CSEC, A levels, and who are now going to face the world.

[00:06:08]That transition is a heavy weight for them to carry. It's confusing, it's overwhelming, and especially if they don't have a clear direction in what they want to do. And this young man who is overwhelmed, he was overwhelmed with everything, the experiences from when he was a child in primary school, what he would have had had to endure, um and now coming out into the world of work, more or less, and not knowing what to do. It was overwhelming, relationship issues, etc. And when he attempted this, and we saw what was being posted on social media, it was so heartbreaking, because people were wishing the worst to happen to him.

[00:06:51]And then a lot of persons posted, "If the story was rest in peace, we would all go down that line of I'm so sorry this happened, we need to speak up more.' But when people are going through depression, what do we do?

[00:07:06]We judge, we we criticize, we laugh, we make fun of them, and we don't give them that space to feel comfortable. And that is the reason why I created, and we are creating, it's only formation stage still, this I Matter movement to create spaces where people could come together and feel comfortable, feel comfortable being vulnerable.

[00:07:29]We are creating three divisions in the I Matter movement. One division is peer support, because sometimes people will reach that level that they don't really require the professional assistance just yet.

[00:07:42]Peer support will assist them.

[00:07:44]From there, we go to the professional support if they require same. And over the recent couple of days, we would have had religious leaders reaching out and we have now created a a third division, which is interreligious division, whereby maybe people will feel more comfortable speaking to their Imam, speaking to their pastor, the father, um or the pundit. So, we are trying to create a very safe space where anyone could walk in and feel comfortable having their conversation and having their voice heard and feeling that their presence matter. And that is basically it. I Matter is about making everyone feel safe, feel that their presence matter, and feel that their voice matter. Yeah.

[00:08:35]Yeah. Now, another what are some of the warning signs that um someone may be battling depression or suicidal thoughts, even if they appear fine on the outside? Yeah, so a lot of persons they do appear fine. They you might see them smiling and they're going about their everyday daily activities as normal, right? But there are a lot of warning signs that persons could look for and these would include you might see some drastic change in their moods, right? They might they might withdraw from family members, right? They might have a change in their mood, change in their appetite, change in their sleep, right? Um you might hear persons talking about um losing like killing, right? They might they might hear them referring to killing themselves, killing oneself. They would feel like dying. You might see them giving away their possessions, right?

[00:09:28]So, all of these are warning signs that you have to look for. Yeah? Yeah.

[00:09:33]Now, say there's someone who is viewing [snorts] right now who feels hopeless, emotionally exhausted, or they believe that they have no purpose. What would you want them to hear today? Hold on.

[00:09:45]Hold on.

[00:09:47]Take a deep breath. Give it one more day.

[00:09:50]Because there is someone outside there who's experiencing exactly what you are experiencing. And this too shall pass. This feeling of overwhelming uh the overwhelming feeling will pass. So, hold on. Know that you matter. Your voice matter. Your presence matter. And just hold on. Yeah.

[00:10:12]Now, you said something earlier that um that I really want to come back to before I uh wrap up. You talked about social media and the post with your nephew. And and you said that if it was an RIP post, then it would be something different. And the truth is even in death, people still have some really negative things to say. And that just brings us to the point that social media is so dangerous. And I think it's become so toxic, especially in Transylvania. I can speak about our country. So, sometimes you post something, you're struggling, and you want some help, and people are under that post ridiculing.

[00:10:46]And that can be as as they say your 13th reason. That can be the reason why you just give up and say, "Wow, the entire country is against me. Well, this is a world. It equals, you know, this equals to the world." And I don't think we realize how much we bully as a society.

[00:11:00]And we are so judgmental. And we love to see that. And then I don't Do we ever really stop and say, "What are we doing to our fellow man?" So, so very true.

[00:11:10]And we witnessed this all the time on social media. And I mean, [clears throat] this was the first experience that we had to go through. And when I saw it firsthand, it was devastating. It was devastating.

[00:11:23]And although it was devastating and one that you're dealing with a situation at hand, then you have public opinion who really and truly doesn't understand and know what is really happening in the background, who has all the information um Yeah. or posting all type of information on social media. It was really, really heartbreaking. At that point, when he was going through that it was a couple weeks we had to ensure that he was not viewing any type of information on social media because that would have pushed him Yeah. to a deeper, deeper end, yeah. Yeah, we are so judgemental as a society. Well, before we wrap up and I have to ask you, how you know, how can young people get just give us some guidance. How can we navigate the social media environment to protect our mental health?

[00:12:11]Well, there are simple things that we can do, you know, limit your time online, [snorts] right? As we know, social media can have positive and negative effects on an individual and it all depends on the amount of time you spend on it, what you use the internet for, you know? So, in terms of cyberbullying, isolation, all of these would be negative effects, right? And it all depends on what you do, how you do it, the persons you interact with and you communicate with, right? And in terms of positive, right? We have >> [clears throat] >> you can seek help, right? Because there are other communities, there are persons who you can reach out to, right? So, what you can do is I I say to my clients, prepare yourself for failure at times, right? But because the internet is not always full of positives, right? But we need to limit our time. Yeah, and also try to choose what you consume, too. You know, maybe maybe things that would uplift you and sometimes it's okay to log off. I always say that it's okay to just give it a break and not read the comments cuz they can be really horrible. Now, what's next for I matter?

[00:13:25]So, we are looking to officially launch on May 31st. The venue is yet to be decided. Um we are in the background um creating all the committees in place. We want to look as I mentioned earlier, three divisions, peer support, um professional support, and interreligious support. So, that's the immediate goals.

[00:13:45]And then further to that, um as of June, we want to ensure that we don't just invite persons to a venue, but we go out there and reach the communities that sometimes it have people who's going through who are going through depression, who aren't able to reach out your facility. So, our approach is now going out to them, um liaising and partnering with the counselors, the local counselors, and other agencies because the I Matter movement is not a one-man movement, or it's not one movement. We want to join and partner with as many persons as possible to get this movement recognized nationally and make the impact. If we save one life, the the goals and the objectives of the movement is really being achieved. Yeah.

[00:14:30]Um can you tell us your social media platforms that we can follow I Matter?

[00:14:35]Definitely, we are on Facebook. Um we recently, within the last couple of days, we would have created a Instagram page, and we're hoping to go um by May 31st on TikTok. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you very much Satish and Anala for joining us. All the best in the I Matter movement, and uh we really uh have so much hope for this movement. I mean, we know that it will continue to contribute to mental health awareness and and really helping um uh members of our society. All right, the time now 7:23 on Trinidad and Tobago today. We take a quick break, and when we come back, the show continues.

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