The work of See Change is underpinned and driven by a partnership model. The model recognises that if See Change is to make a decisive impact on stigma and discrimination, then we can’t go it alone.
National Mental Health Arts Festival
Partners: See Change, First Fortnight, Union of Students Ireland, Suicide or Survive
Location: Nationwide/Universities
Target Audience: Music lovers, students, thinkers, dreamers, minglers, watchers, listeners
See Change and First Fortnight recently announced Ireland’s first ever national art and film festival. Based on the massive success of First Fortnight 2010 and the Scottish Mental Health Festival. The festival will have two parts; (1) a series of campus based gigs and activities in Autumn 2010 and (2) a packed programme of arts and cultural events in the first two weeks of 2012. Want to get involved?
Nationwide Townhall Meetings
Partners: See Change, GROW in Ireland, St. Patrick’s University Hospital, Community Fora
Location: Nationwide
Target Audience: Local community groups, local advocates, local media, interested members of the public
You’ve heard the expression ‘all politics is local’; well the same is also true for groups and organisations working to bring about attitudinal and behavioural change. See Change aims to work at community level as well as nationally – so the first step for us was bringing the show on the road to towns and communities all over Ireland. Each meeting was an opportunity to connect the campaign with people at local level, and more importantly with the stories and experiences of people with experience of mental health problems.
We held 17 meetings across the country between September 2010 and April 2011. We spoke directly with over 2,500 people, made links with new groups and organisations and gained media coverage worth over 200,000 euro – raising the profile of the campaign, and the importance of ending stigma.
National Advertising Campaign
Partners: Amnesty International (Irish Section), See Change
Location: Nationwide
Target Audience: Mass market campaign
Amnesty International (Irish Section) launched a national anti-discrimination campaign – focusing on billboards and radio – on 7th October 2010. The campaign was co-branded with See Change and included the tagline ‘mental health problems don’t discriminate – people do’. There was a second campaign burst in early 2011, and it was supported by a campaign video ‘a job for all of us‘. You can check out one of the posters, ‘Caroline’s story’ here.
Training and Awareness in the Workplace
Partners: IBEC, Equality Authority, ICTU
Location: Nationwide
Target Audience: Employers, Employees, Human Resources Departments/Officials
In our baseline survey (2010), the workplace was identified as one of the places where stigma is felt most keenly. See Change works in partnership with a number of employers and employees bodies – as well as state agencies like the Equality Authority – to help tackle stigma in the workplace, mainstream progressive mental health policies in the workplace, and legislative change.
In 2010, IBEC and See Change coordinated two cross-sectoral conferences on mental health stigma, attended by over 80 of Ireland’s biggest employers. See Change (through Shine) provided training for Equality Authority staff and has provided workshops, inputs and keynote speeches to many of Ireland’s largest Unions. See Change is working with IBEC and ICTU to develop a mental health handbook to mainstream progessive approaches and strategies for ending stigma in the workplace.
Tackling Stigma in the Farming Community
Partners: See Change, Irish Farmers Association
Location: Nationwide
Target Audience: Farmers, people in rural communities
In the See Change baseline study 2010, farmers and people living in rural communities were identified a key target audience for raising awareness about mental health problems. See Change works in partnership with the Irish Farmers Association to deliver highly targeted, interactive presentations to IFA stakeholders, including members in all 27 national executive committees. See Change has produced a leaflet with the IFA on dealing with stress for the farming community. This was distributed at the National Ploughing Championships and will be launched in November 2011.
June 2011 ‘Pride without Prejudice’ forum event
Partners: Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN)
Location: Dublin
Target Audience: : LGBT
This discussion focused on mental health and stigma in the LGBT community. http://www.glen.ie/
