Four inspiring mental wellbeing campaigns
It’s hard to know where to start or what great looks like, which is why “what really works?” is often the theme of many wellbeing events.
In the last 12 months, there have been several high-quality and inspiring mental health campaigns. Bravery, addressing stigma and raising awareness have all been key factors of their success.
“This is Me” began in 2013 and has become a global activity with hundreds of employees sharing their personal experiences of managing mental wellbeing, via films and written accounts. Its purpose was to challenge stereotypes, target stigma and raise awareness. It was so successful it inspired other businesses to create their own “This is Me” campaigns. They also went on to partner with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, Business Healthy and the City Mental Health Alliance to create ‘This is Me in the City’.
Mental Health First Aid: Take 10
Mental Health First Aid England developed the Take 10 Together campaign for World Mental Health Day 2016. It recognised that the first step towards better mental health, for many people, is to take 10 minutes to have a meaningful conversation with a friend, family member or colleague. The campaign has since been adapted into a toolkit so that companies can reuse the material all year round. The toolkit includes ready-to-use hard and soft copy materials to support mental wellbeing in workplaces via platforms like social media, intranets, newsletters and public spaces.
M&S x Ruby Wax: The Frazzled Cafe
Marks & Spencer has joined forces with comedian and leading mental health awareness campaginer, Ruby Wax to launch Frazzled Cafe. M&S cafés will host fortnightly ‘talk-in’ sessions where people who are feeling ‘frazzled’ can meet to talk and share their personal stories in a safe, anonymous and non-judgmental environment.
Led by trained facilitators, Frazzled Cafe meetings are designed not just for the one-in-four Britons who will suffer a mental illness at some point, but for the four-in-four who are feeling frazzled and overwhelmed by the stresses of modern life. The meetings are not therapy, their purpose is to provide a space where people can talk openly – ‘a place where it’s ok, to not be ok’.
PWC/Lord Mayors Appeal: Green Ribbon
Based on a successful campaign by PWC, Green Ribbon encouraged organisations to invite employees to wear a green ribbon as a visible sign of support to help destigmatise mental health. The aim was to drive change, one conversation at a time, and to help run the campaign there was a downloadable toolkit and other useful resources. This year the Green Ribbon was worn by 70,000 people across the UK during Mental Health Awareness Week (8-12 May 2017) as part of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.
This article was provided by Bupa.
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