January 2013

A leading mental health campaign is asking people to come up with initiatives to help rid their local communities in Wales of the stigma surrounding mental health.

Time to Change Wales is asking people to come forward with ideas to challenge people's negative perceptions of mental illness as part of its Social Leadership Community Projects Scheme.

If you’ve got an idea, project or initiative to tackle your local mental health issues then the campaign may be able to help make it happen the scheme's grants which will be used to fund 5 projects over 3 years across the country.

Suggested proposals range from hosting events challenging the way people currently think about mental illness, activities bringing people with and without mental health problems together or projects which get people to talk about mental health.

The organisation's English campaign has recently launched its own TV and online campaign along these lines called "Start Your Conversation" which you can read all about on our last blog post - Mental Health Campaign Asks UK to 'Start A Conversation'.

The closing dates for applications for the Social Leadership Community Projects Scheme is 18th February 2013 and for further information please visit the following page on the organisation's website - What is the Social Leadership Community Projects Scheme?

Time to Change Wales is led by Mind Cymru, Gofal and Hafal and is a campaign aimed at ending mental health stigma and discrimination within Wales.

Download our Essential Characteristics report about professional experiences in mental health in Wales

Although the Essential Characteristics and Components of Primary Care Mental Health Services centres around the experiences of mental health professionals in North Wales we feel the evidence it has produced is applicable across Wales. 

The report contains key messages for policy makers as it shows how professionals from widely different backgrounds view the services they work in and how policy can impact on their performance. 

It uses scientifically-proven qualitative research techniques and we commissioned the work to look at the key components needed to create an effective primary care service.  

The document is not long and we feel it is an extremely valuable read with a useful synopsis of its findings available in Dr Mark Boulter’s (Chair of WaMH in PC) letter.

Mental health campaign Time to Change Wales is helping to dispel the myths about mental illness by providing people with the facts mental health issues through a free online booklet.

The booklet is available online in English and Welsh and can be downloaded from the Time to Change Wales website via it's Myths and Facts page.

There are many myths about mental illness and the booklet aims to help by supporting people to have a better understanding of mental health issues.

For example, most people think mental health problems are rare but about one in four (25%) of people across Wales and the UK are affected by mental health issues of one kind or another.

Whether or not you have a mental health problem, Time to Change Wales believes downloading and reading the booklet will help you challenge discrimination by improving your everyday knowledge about mental illness.

The campaign believes you don’t need to be an expert on mental health and simply providing yourself with the tools to have an informed conversation about mental health will help to tackle the stigma surrounding this issue across Wales.

The fact is that you probably know someone with a mental health problem - a friend, family member or colleague - and you can support them by reading the Myths and Facts booklet and providing yourself with the knowledge to dispel the myths surrounding their conditions.

Time to Change Wales is led by Mind Cymru, Gofal and Hafal and is a campaign aimed at ending mental health stigma and discrimination within Wales.