The Yellow Umbrella was a two-day comprehensive mental health festival organized on 5th & 6th of October, 2019 by Surat Global Shapers community to commemorate World Mental Health Week. This initiative was one of its kind in the state. India has the dubious distinction of being the most depressed country according to WHO. Brainchild of two driven Shapers, Ms Aakruti Dalmia and Ms Komal Virwani, this pilot project envisioned spreading awareness, breaking stereotypes and making mental health as accessible as physical health. Although the festival was two days, there were several small scale sessions that were conducted as precursors. Screening of a movie about Autism Spectrum Disorder and hosting a discussion set the ball rolling and raised the curtains for the festival. Following this, there were awareness workshops in corporations and schools as well as a highly lauded Human Library mimicked gathering as well. These events started in September and met their culmination in the Yellow Umbrella, which saw a footfall of 400+ attendees. The Yellow Umbrella was curated with a plethora of informative sessions to skillfully tackle the narrative of mental health. The festival kick-started with a session on emotional intelligence. This was followed by a panel discussion, pet therapy, sound therapy, and sessions for parents of disabled children, on suicide prevention, mental health first aid, and support groups - covering a wide range of activities in the Mental Health spectrum. The highlight of the festival was an open mic where mental health survivors and supporters found their voice and an accepting audience. The festival ended on a high note of enthusiasm and promise to keep this movement alive and going.

The objective of The Yellow Umbrella initiative is mental health education and awareness. The Hub has conducted workshops and sessions at 15+ locations with 800+ people been given knowledge about basic mental health aid so far.