Take time to talk tomorrow
Published: Wednesday 06 Feb 2019
On the eve of Time to Talk Day 2019, organisations and employers are being urged to make time and space for people to talk about mental health.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) implementation director for wellbeing, Sean Russell, said: Tomorrow is Time To Talk Day and - building on the recent Thrive Mental Health Awards and the launch of the ‘This is Me' West Midlands campaign - we welcome the opportunity to ask businesses to make the time to talk and raise the profile of mental health in your organisation.
It gives people the chance to meet and discuss wellbeing in the workplace, in a safe and supportive space
(Thumbnail l-r): Comic Barbara Nice, Shuranjeet Singh Takhar, WMCA chief executive Deborah Cadman, and host Adrian Goldberg. (Main picture l-r): Laura Fogarty and Laura Gee, winners in the non-mental health organisation category.
The message that people need to talk about mental health and understand that it's ok not to be ok" was a prevailing theme at last week's Thrive awards, with winners repeatedly returning to it.
Birmingham City University psychology students Laura Fogarty and Laura Gee won the award for non-mental health organisations, in recognition of peer support to fellow students experiencing mental illness.
They set up a WhatsApp group and now co-ordinate 98 voluntary student mental health first aiders to reach and support more students and organise online support to students via social media.
Shuranjeet Singh Takhar, winner of the Young Person's Mental Health Star award, said there was always help out there - the important thing was to help people to find it.