Awareness Raising

Bromley Mental Health Forum want a new logo

Bromley Mental Health Forum would like to update their letter heading and would like to receive entries for a new logo.

Entries should be submitted on A4 paper, using whatever medium preferred. It should be noted, however, that the logo will be photocopied, so it should still be outstanding in black and white.

Entries should be sent to the BMH forum, c/o Community House, South Street, Bromley BR1 1RH.

Closing date for entries is 5th June 2011. There will be a £20 voucher prize for the winning entry.

Time to Change moves up a gear

The next burst of the Time to Change national marketing campaign is launching on Monday 19 April. It will be running a media partnership with The Mirror, showing its successful Schizo:The Movie trailer in cinemas across England, and advertising online and on the London Underground. 

Time to Change has already made significant progress towards changing the attitudes and behaviour of the English public towards people with mental health problems. Now it's time to build on this and encourage people to realise that it's what they do that can make the difference. 

Time to Change wants to encourage as many people as possible to pledge to help end mental health prejudice. From 19 April, log on to http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/ to make your pledge. Encourage others to pledge - you will be able to order free pledge postcards from the website to help you promote the pledge to your colleagues and networks. 

For more information about the campaign and how to get involved, email the campaign team at campaign@time-to-change.org.uk If you want to organise your own Time to Get Moving events contact getmoving@time-to-change.org.uk or go to www.time-to-change.org.uk/getmoving

Shift aims to improve the media portrayal of mental illness

A six-month research project into TV representations of mental illness, commissioned by Shift, is underway. The findings will be used to engage TV producers and script-writers in a dialogue around how they represent mental illness. They will be presented at a BBC event attended by leading TV figures this autumn, inspiring the industry to portray people with mental health problems in an innovative, fresh and creatively exciting new way, challenging tired, old stereotypes.

Shift are also lobbying the Press Complaints Commission to ban the offensive term 'schizo' in stories about people with schizophrenia, and are planning to hold a seminar for national newspapers in conjunction with the PCC about media reporting of mental illness. Shift spoke to hundreds of journalists at the NUJ conference and the Society of Editors conference, providing them with our guidance on reporting mental illness.

To find out more about What's the Story, visit: www.shift.org.uk/mediahandbook 

Shift are continuing to deliver their popular workshops on reporting mental illness and suicide to trainee journalists at postgraduate and vocational journalism colleges and universities.

The charity Ok2b has been commissioned by Shift to run a web-based 'Stigma Watch' system called Words Matter, which will enable people to praise and complain about media coverage. It will be marketed to service users and relevant mental health related organisations and will be up and running later this year.

Later this year, Shift will be publishing a package of research about the media which will include 'Mind over Matter III', their annual analysis of media coverage. This report will analyse coverage from March and October 2008. It will be compared against reports from the previous three years to see if there have been any improvements. The research will also include the findings of focus groups, held to examine the role of the media in the shaping public fears of people with mental health problems, as well as a survey of how well newspaper readers think their paper covers mental health. It will also include the findings of research into how the mental health of Black and Minority Ethnic groups are reported in Black and Minority Ethnic and mainstream press.

www.shift.org.uk

Send your images for the Big Care Debate

As part of the continuing Big Care Debate on the reform of the care and support system, the Big Care Debate team are inviting everyone to share their images of Care and Support.

They are putting together a gallery of images that illustrate, and raise awareness of, the breadth of care and support issues and what they mean to people in England.  They will display the pictures on the Care and Support website. The best pictures will be considered for inclusion in the forthcoming care and support White Paper.

Please send any images that you think best illustrate how care and support touches an individual's life, and provide a short description (up to 50 words) telling the story of the image.  It can be someone you have a personal connection with, eg a family member or someone you, or your organisation, have a working relationship with.  If your organisation has its own network of organisations or individuals, please pass this request on to them.

You can upload your pictures directly onto the website via the easy-to-use form, adding a title and description at www.careandsupport.direct.gov.uk

Or, if you prefer, you can email your photo and text to careandsupport@dh.gsi.gov.uk

You can also post a print and they will scan and upload it.  Please send it to:

Ben Scott
Images of Care and Support
Room 149, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS

BBC Headroom marks World Mental Health Day with national events

To mark World Mental Health Day on 10th October 2009, Headroom are heading to six BBC Big Screen locations, and we're taking with us a series of relaxing activities, a larger than life game, balloons, smiles, and even some celebrities.

Edinburgh - Festival Square
Have fun with karaoke, films, interactive games, comedy, clay modelling, street dance and jive workshops.

Hull - Queen Victoria Square
Join Nikki Grahame (Big Brother) for some karaoke, films, drumming, laughology, salsa workshops, smoothie making, and clay modelling.

Portsmouth - Guildhall Square
Join Esther Rantzen for karaoke, films, games, laughter gym, clay modelling and jive workshops.

Swansea - Castle Square
Join Radio 1's Aled Jones for some films, karaoke, games, clay modelling, stress busting tips, and art activities.

Waltham Forest - Town Square
Have fun with karaoke, films, games, laughter yoga, Bollywood workshops, fruit kebab making and show off your football skills.

Norwich - Chapelfield Plain
Join Trisha Goddard for karaoke, films, space hopper fun, games, Sing Your Heart Out choir, salsa workshops and Tai Chi.

Mind Get Moving
Regent's Park, London
See events listing for details

More information can be found on the Headroom website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/headroom/

The Shift Speakers' Bureau is recruiting!

The Shift Speakers' Bureau is looking for new members to talk to journalists and to take part in public events. You will join a team of 50 volunteers who tackle the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental ill health. Training and ongoing support will be provided and all expenses will be paid.

If you live in England and have a mental health condition, please email sue@furnercommunications.co.uk for more information and to find out how you can get involved.

Find out more about the Shift Speakers' Bureau here: http://shift.org.uk/speakersbureau

A new vision for mental health and wellbeing

New Horizons heralds a dynamic new approach to whole population mental health.

The focus on prevention and maintaining good mental health is particularly relevant today with people leading more hectic lifestyles and going through the economic downturn.

Phil Hope (right) said:
"Over the past ten years we've made great strides in transforming the way mental health is dealt with. But we need to do more. I'm particularly interested in looking at how we can help people to look after their mental health and prevent them from becoming ill. And I'm keen to tackle the stigma that's associated with it - this isn't something we can shy away from, mental ill health is as serious as physical illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

"Individuals, employers and all sorts of organisations have a role to play in helping to achieve good mental health for all. So, we're going around the country to hear people's views and hope to publish our new vision later this year. My ambition is to create a strategy that will improve services and promote public mental health and wellbeing for years to come."

Download full document release here (PDF)

Awareness to be raised by Wellbeing Week

Wellbeing Week takes place from 9-15 March 2009 and is a national awareness raising week organised by mental health charity Together: Working for Wellbeing.

Together hope that by encouraging groups of people with experience of mental health issues to hold events it will focus attention on the many voices of experience, which when listened to, can help change things for the better. 

Visit the special Wellbeing Week website