Last Monday, RTE broadcaster Eileen Dunne joined actress Mary McEvoy on board the MV Cill Airne in Dublin’s IFSC to launch See Change’s ‘My Ripple’ stigma awareness campaign to create a wave of change on Ireland’s radio waves.

Airing on national and regional radio from April 23rd, the My Ripple ad series will feature the authentic voices of real people who have shared their experiences of mental health problems and stigma with the aim of inspiring understanding and action on stigma.

In all, 22 people from every walk of Irish life leant their voices and shared their stories as part of the My Ripple campaign; farmers, students, employees, young males, parents who have all experienced mental health problems and the assocated stigma and feel passionate about using their experiences to open minds about mental health problems and end stigma.

Listen to the radio ads over on https://seechange.ie/stories.php

The big idea:

We know that when real people share their very real stories about their experiences with a mental health problem, it has the power to change attitudes and open minds.

Our vision is that by sharing personal stories, radio audiences will be touched, not just as passive listeners but inspired to act and take a personal role in opening-up conversation about mental health problems and challenging stigma,making ripples from one individual to the next until a large community of people are engaged on the issue and attitude change can organically begin.

Now its your turn:

Every one of us has the power to break the silence of stigma.

After hearing someone’s personal story, all we need is for one person to start talking openly about mental health problems and the idea will spread in a ripple effect.

See Change’s online Make a Ripple portal allows you to engage with the campaign in this way. You can share your story, read other people’s inspiring stories of recovery, leave a message of support or simply speak out.

You can also leave your ‘Make a Ripple’ message on See Change’s facebook page and tweet using the #MakeARipple hashtag on twitter

More info:

The My Ripple will run on national and regional radio stations with the hope of reaching out to the groups within society where stigma is most keenly felt; young men in the 18-24 year old group, people in the workplace and farmers and people living in rural communties which were identified in broad-ranging research carried out by See Change on Irish attitudes to mental health problems in 2010. See Change’s research found that;

· 57% of Irish farmers would not want others to know if they had a mental health problem.

· Almost early 30% of young males would delay seeking help for fear of some of someone finding else out.

· 48% of Irish employees would deliberately conceal a diagnosis from co-workers.

The campaign will also seek to reach out to 35-45 year olds with children as as this group as seen as being influential opinion formers in their communities.