Time to Change – England’s leading national anti-stigma programme run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, has launched a new pilot campaign featuring a film, The Stand Up Kid, aimed at stamping out stigma faced by young people with mental health problems in the West Midlands.
The film can be viewed via this link http://www.youtube.com/timetochangecampaign
Stand Up Kid is released alongside shocking new research that shows nearly one in four1 young people in the West Midlands would stop wanting to spend time with a friend with depression. Nearly a third of those questioned also thought that peers with depression could be a danger to others.
These new figures reveal just how prevalent the stigma of mental health problems is among this young age group (14 to 18 year olds).
Time to Change research also shows that nine out of 10 young people who have mental health problems2 in the West Midlands are affected by stigma and have experienced negative treatment as a result of their mental illness. Often much of the discrimination they face comes from those they might need to turn to first including friends (66%), parents (54%) and also teachers/lecturers (49%).2
The new film is part of a wider pilot campaign that was launched in June to encourage young people in the West Midlands to tackle the taboo around mental health. The Stand Up Kid will inspire young people in the West Midlands, particularly those who have no understanding of mental health problems, to change their attitudes towards others who are affected.
Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said:
“We know that attitudes around mental health are formed at an early age and it’s so important that we reach young people before their views become entrenched. Unfortunately, these statistics shows how many have already formed negative attitudes towards peers with mental health problems and this is something we desperately need to change.”
This is particularly crucial because around half of mental health problems start as a teenager. It’s hard enough for them going through mental health issues without being rejected by friends and classmates.”
The 18 month West Midlands pilot project will include work with local schools to deliver a curriculum-led competition, an education programme co-delivered by young people with a mental illness and their parents, community events such as a ‘pop up village’ and community projects, funded by Time to Change grants, that will bring young people with and without mental health problems together in order to tackle stereotyped views.
To find out more about the Children and Young People campaign please visit www.time-to-change.org.uk
Stand Up Kid campaign – what’s happening in the West Midlands?
Train the Trainer
The education programme is aimed at professionals, volunteers, youth and community leaders in the West Midlands who work with young people (aged 11-25) and their families. A free four hour training package will equip them with guidance and materials around tackling the stigma around mental health in order for them to pass it on to the young people they work with.
Schools campaign
Time to Change are working will with local schools across the West Midlands to deliver a, curriculum-led schools competition to encourage young people come up with their own creative ideas to tackle the taboo around mental health.
Pop Up Village
The Time to Change village green will make its way to the centre of Birmingham on 26th October for one day only. An internet cafe, a library, a post office, a cinema, and a youth club will take over the city centre to raise awareness around the stigma that many people with mental health problems face.
Local grants
Time to Change will be tackling mental health stigma and discrimination through awarding local grants to community led youth projects in the West Midlands. Two grants have been awarded so far with more planned in the future:
Mis-understanding’ run by BRAP in partnership with Youth Space – This project will bring together young people with and without personal experience of mental health problems to explore the negative language often used around mental health, with a specific focus on young people from BME communities. Interactive resources will be developed and young people will be trained as learning mentors, using the resources in schools, youth clubs, and voluntary organisations to start conversations about mental health.
COPE Black Mental Health Foundation in partnership with ENTA – 10 young people from BME communities, who have mental health problems, will work together with 10 young people without mental health problems to record a CD which sums up some of their thoughts and feelings about mental health. The project will then take the CD into schools and youth groups, using it to start conversations about mental health with the young people’s peers.
Time to Change
Time to Change is England’s most ambitious programme to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems. The programme is run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and funded by the Department of Health and Comic Relief.
For more information go to www.time-to-change.org.uk
Department of Health
On 2 February 2011 the Department of Health launched No health without mental health, a cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages which has the twin aims of keeping people well and improving their mental health and, when people are not well, improving their outcomes through high-quality services.
The strategy is based on six shared objectives, developed with partners from across the mental health sector, and focuses on ‘Recovery’ and the reduction of stigma and discrimination as overarching themes.
1 SPA Future Thinking conducted face to face and online interviewing, on knowledge and attitudes around mental health, on behalf of Time to Change, among 1,026 young people, aged 14 – 18 years, and 1,207 adults in contact with children, in the West Midlands. The fieldwork took place during 20th March –20th July 2012.
2 Time to Change survey conducted online using SurveyMonkey. The survey was online between 1st August and 23rd August 2012 and was completed by a total of 186 young people in the West Midlands under the age of 25 and who have experienced a mental health problem. A link to the survey was distributed widely via TTC Facebook fans, on Twitter and via other charity networks.
via Gisela Stuart Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston » Constituency News http://www.giselastuartmp.co.uk/2012/10/its-time-to-stand-up-to-stigma/
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