15 April

How you can plan for Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May) presents an opportunity for organisations to champion mental health initiatives, foster supportive environment and combat stigma. Gathering insights from our recent MHAW planning webinar, lets delve into how organisations can actively participate and improve their workplace culture. 

Getting Involved: Activities

Green Ribbons - Create a visual demonstration of support by distributing and wearing green ribbons. Access resources such as green ribbons and digital assets through the This is Me Resource Hub. “Wearing the green ribbons... inspires people to talk a little bit more about their mental health in a really comfortable and safe space” (Phil Canale, BNY Mellon)

This is Me Storytelling - Encourage employees to share their personal experiences with mental health through storytelling create inclusive workplace cultures and foster understanding among colleagues. 

Share on Social Media - Utilise the #MomentsForMovement and #EndTheStigma hashtags to encourage staff engagement and share experiences. This helps raise awareness of mental health challenges and opens the door to conversations.

Distribute MHAW resources provided by the Mental Health Foundation to facilitate participation. “We have a whole host of resources and bunting and rosettes and other great fun things that you can download” (Annie Hall, Mental Health Foundation).

Wear It Green Day on May 15th - Visibly demonstrate support for ending the stigma surrounding mental health.

Host a Panel Discussion or Keynote Speaker – hearing other people’s experiences can help people feel more connected and less alone.

Getting Involved - Top Tips

Make it accessible. “Movement means different things to different people, and we've been really deliberate about being inclusive about what the word movement means…. Be very careful about defining movement and not jumping into the You have to go for a run”. (Phil Canale, BNY Mellon). Movement for some could be crafting or practicing breathing exercises.

Add variety. “The more variety you can add in to what you're planning to do, the better.” (Phil Canale, BNY Mellon).

Plan ahead, keep it simple and accessible. Green Ribbons are a great example of that!

Consider regional and cultural differences. “Do think globally, but act locally accept that different regions, different locations will want to do things slightly differently.” (Phil Canale, BNY Mellon)

Tell stories. Research by Dr. Jennifer Aaker in the Stanford Graduate School of business identified that stories are 22 times more memorable than facts.

Create a Lasting Impact. Extend MHAW initiatives beyond a single week, incorporating them into ongoing employee well-being programs.

For more tips and activity ideas, watch the full Mental Health Awareness Week webinar recording here

Download your Green Ribbons here