Our mental health awareness campaigns

We've run several different anti-stigma and awareness campaigns in recent years.

These include a Moving Minds campaign which included capturing movement, photographic stories and making and flying kites.

Thank you to all the Open Mind Champions: Kasha, Keira, James, Christine, Hannah, Ethan, Penny, Sarah, Roy, Chris and Willis who made this Moving Minds project and to photographer and volunteer James Brown who used his lens to help tell the story

Other campaigns have included 'Human Kindness for Open Mindness', named by the charity’s Open Minds champions and featuring stories and experiences of acts of kindness that people feel have helped with their mental health. These were printed on pocket-sized kindness cards, included in mini well-being boxes and given to the public to raise awareness and start conversations.

We also ran a West Sussex Rocks campaign. Inspired by the painting of messages on pebbles and pebble painting parties, we created a campaign to connect people across the county.

We worked in collaboration with our Open Minds champions, artists, theatre and film design students from Northbrook MET college and Mel, the amazing sign-writing volunteer.

Our other campaigns and events we've had previously:

• People, Puzzles, Pathways – suicide awareness
• What's mine is yours! What Mind is yours? – collective thinking about mental health
• Messages on Mandalas – reflective messages drawn on painted Mandalas.

Raising awareness in schools

We've also reached out to schools and colleges with our work and used innovative ways to engage children.

We have linked with enrichment and pastoral care school leads and teachers to engage the primary school children. On one occasion we used a new superpowers game at Thomas A Becket Primary School, Worthing, and River Beach Primary School, Littlehampton.

The superpowers game involved a set of cards that children used to kick-start a conversation about feelings and to get them talking about mental health.

A superpower is a skill such as talking, asking a friend how they are, or practical things children can do to help themselves and each other. The children created superpowers for all types of situations, from loneliness to feelings of sadness and instances of unkindness or anxiousness.

• One in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year and half of them say that the associated isolation and shame is worse than the condition itself
• 90% of people with mental health problems report experiencing stigma
• The majority of people wait over a year before telling their closest family and friends about their mental health problem
• 65% of people with mental health problems report stigma affecting their friendships
• 57% of young people say fear of stigma has stopped them applying for a job.

If you'd like to get in touch with us about raising awareness of mental health in your community, please use the form below.