#MHForAll webinar: World Mental Health Day - Reflections & next steps
On World Mental Health Day (WMHD) this year, an unprecedented number of organisations and stakeholders came forth to highlight the need for increased mental health awareness, support, and financing. Across the world, new reports, funding mechanisms, and campaigns were launched to catalyse change at all levels of society.
At this month's MHForAll webinar, we invited key changemakers to discuss their new launches and outline ways to build on WMHD's momentum.
Our expert panel included:
Babita Sharma, Broadcaster, Journalist & UnitedGMH Trustee, UK (Chair)
Charlene Sunkel, Global Mental Health Peer Network, South Africa
Kevin Martinez, Vice President Corporate Citizenship, ESPN, US
Nicole Bardikoff, Associate Director Mental Health, Grand Challenges Canada, Canada
Catch up on the full session
On 10th October, the Lancet Commission released its highly anticipated report on ending mental health stigma and discrimination. The report explores 3 main areas:
How stigma can result in the violation of basic human rights
Ways to to reduce stigma through social contact
The importance of amplifying and including the voices of people with lived experience (PWLE) to reduce stigma
Lancet Commission on Ending Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination
Charlene Sunkel, co-editor of the report, notes that global and local stakeholders value the specific focus on stigma and discrimination, as it has, for far too long, been a barrier preventing PWLE from striving. The report emphasises that PWLE play a vital role in stigma reduction efforts and must be included in all future activities and initiatives. Sunkel explains that the “impacts and progress… measured, will come from PWLE overtime to see how actual experiences relate to the realisations of the report’s recommendations.” Regarding the priorities and next steps, Sunkel acknowledges that collective, cross-sectoral action on the issue of stigma and discrimination will lead to real change, “it is everybody’s business.”
How to get involved and keep the momentum going:
Download and share a copy of the Lancet Commission report.
Watch and share the Lancet Commission Launch recording here.
Learn more about meaningful and authentic lived experience engagement here.
‘The Choose Kindness Project’ Anti-Bullying Campaign
On WMHD, ESPN unveiled a new anti-bullying campaign which aims to establish a culture of “intentional inclusion” and mental wellness for young people everywhere. ESPN Corporate Citizenship VP, Kevin Martinez, explains that the “Choose Kindness Project” is powered by the sports media organisation, along with ABC and The Walton Foundation and the Choose Kindness Alliance. The Alliance is made up of 22 non-profit organisations which provide advisory support for the initiative.
The project focuses on three main areas, capacity building, intersectionality and innovation. Grants will be made available to organisations that are actively working in these spaces to safeguard and improve the mental wellbeing of young people. There is also a significant media-focus for this initiative, says Martinez. In collaboration with the partnered organisations, The Choose Kindness Project will be launching media guides for end-users and implementers to ensure they are briefed on the importance of using the appropriate language and terminology when discussing youth wellbeing. Martinez notes that this is the first time that the ESPN Corporate Citizenship is working on authorities in the space of mental wellbeing, academic institutions, race and identity orgs as they aim to build sustainable programmes that focus on cross-sectoral collaboration.
How to get involved and keep the momentum going:
Read and share this new piece of research from The Choose Kindness Project on youth experiences of bullying in the US.
Read and share this guide on cyberbulling for parents and guardians.
Follow @choosekindness on social media platforms to keep up with news and opportunities for collaboration.
Youth-Focused Mental Health Initiative, Being
At the webinar, Nicole Bardikoff of Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) announced the launch of the youth-focused, mental health initiative called Being and outlined the opportunities for collaboration. The Being program will support research, community initiatives, and youth-focused innovative projects in Romania, Tanzania, Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, Senegal, India, Morocco, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, and Vietnam.
The vision for the program is to see a “world where young people feel well and thrive,” says Bardikoff. She highlights that there is a need to replace individual-focused, medicalised approaches with youth-led approaches that look at the drivers that impact the wellbeing of young people aged 10-24. For positive, lasting change to occur in local communities, it is essential to understand the “individual, societal, and environmental impacts” on mental health. The program is focusing specifically on this age-group because globally, 75% of all mental health conditions begin before the age of 24, she explains. The findings from this initial work will serve a blueprint for system-level change in the target geographies, supporting prevention and innovations for early intervention.
How to get involved and keep the momentum going:
There is an open call for researchers, groups, or organisations based in low and middle-income countries to get involved in this initiative from 2023 to 2024. Selected parties will receive funding to gather and analyse local information on youth mental wellbeing and manage stakeholder and network engagement to identify the potential for investment and collaboration in the 13 priority countries. Click here to find out how you can get involved in this initiative.
Watch the full recording and learn more about these initiatives.
Our next MHForAll session will be on Tuesday 29th November, 2pm-3pm GMT, where we will we explore the need for integrated perinatal mental health in maternal and child health services and discuss key information from the new Perinatal Guide by The World Health Organization. Register your place now.