Comedian Aidan Park Brings Laughter and Mental Health Awareness to HoliMont
Comedian Aidan Park Brings Laughter and Mental Health Awareness to HoliMont
Nationally Recognized Comedian Aidan Park Uses Humor and Personal Storytelling to Advocate for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
At first glance, “comedy” and “suicide prevention” don’t seem to belong together in the same sentence, let alone in the same event! But approaching sensitive topics through comedy can be a life-changing approach to understanding and destigmatizing mental health, according to Los Angeles-based comedian Aidan Park. Curious as to what this could look like? Next month, Park himself will be coming to HoliMont bringing the laughter, the joy, and the “Yay!” factor that’s changed his life and countless others. Together with Connecting Communities in Action, the Trauma Informed Coalition in Cattaraugus County is hosting Stand Up Comedy with Aidan Park and special guest community members at HoliMont at 7:00pm on Saturday, September 20th!
According to the latest data reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2023 in the U.S.; in fact, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. The Trauma Informed Coalition in Cattaraugus County is bringing awareness to this important topic, as well as providing support and resources for those impacted by it, during the month of September, which is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The coalition is comprised of professionals from several different community agencies who are dedicated to working together to create resilient and self-healing communities through training and treatment.
The goal of the event is two-fold: to destigmatize mental health and bring awareness to suicide prevention. Park will show audience members how to embrace the healing power of comedic story telling by just saying, “Yay,” which is at the heart of his approach to life and the focus of his 2020 book The Art of Being Yay: The OMG NSFW Memoir and Guide to Authentic Joy.
Park began doing stand-up comedy in 2012 and has performed at some of the best-known comedy clubs in the world, including The Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store in LA. He has two comedy specials available on NBC’s Peacock and Amazon Prime, and his comedy has been featured on CBS, Comedy Central, Hulu, PBS, and the TV Guide Channel. Born and raised in Korea until the age of nine, Park’s story at first reads like the ideal American dream, but it has not been without significant challenges, including a year-long struggle with suicide ideation.
“I actually grew up very rough,” Park recalled. “I was brought here undocumented at first, and I didn’t have parents, so I was kind of raised by my grandmother. When I was 19, I was homeless and HIV-positive.” Park credits empowerment training with helping him move forward and begin his comedy career. “When I was 33, I lost my partner, and I had a complete emotional meltdown… [empowerment training] never dealt with my emotional life and trauma, so I struggled with suicidal ideation for about a year.”
At that point, Park said his life was at a crossroads. “After a year, I actually had this point where I was like, ‘Okay, do it or don’t. This riding the fence is just too hard,’ so I wanted to make a commitment. And I said, ‘Alright, I’ll stay here, but I’m not going to stay feeling like this… I’m not going to just hold in this pain, because I’ve got to figure out how to be happy.’” With his empowerment background, Park determined to take a trial-and-error approach to different mental health tools to see what worked and what didn’t work on his healing journey. “I wrote a book on my journey called The Art of Being Yay, with a foreword written by my personal hero, Margaret Cho,” he said.
Park began using comedy and his personal story to advocate for mental health. From Park’s HIV diagnosis to the loss of his husband and subsequent widowhood, he writes and speaks about his experiences in a conversational, humorous way. Mental health organizations began approaching Park about his work, citing his personal storytelling as a central part of peer support, a growing approach where individuals with lived experiences of mental health challenges provide support to others facing similar situations. Park created the YAY! Foundation to promote mental and emotional health through humorous and engaging programs, workshops, and trainings for organizations all over the U.S. His stand-up comedy also advocates for mental health and ending the stigma around HIV; Park made history as the first openly HIV-positive comedian featured on a major network (NBC).
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to support an important cause and enjoy an evening of laughter and fun! Tickets for Stand Up Comedy with Aidan Park go on sale on August 15th and proceeds benefit local suicide prevention training and events. Follow Connecting Communities in Action on social media, where a link to purchase tickets will be posted on August 15th.