A ‘pop–up village’ with a difference will hit Brighton Pride on Saturday August 3, thanks to Time to Change, England’s biggest mental health anti-stigma campaign, run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. Time to Change has partnered with MindOut, a local mental health service run by and for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people, based in Brighton and Hove.
As part of a new concept to challenge mental health stigma, the village will encourage people who don’t have experience of mental health problems to get talking to those who do. It will run from 12:00pm until 6:00pm at The Community Village in the Pride Festival, Preston Park.
The village will include a village green and even a cinema. However, all of the areas have been specially designed so that members of the public can enjoy the activities and learn more about mental health from people with a personal experience. Evidence suggests that this kind of contact is one of the most effective ways of breaking down stigma and improving attitudes.
The cinema will show short films and adverts and the post office will include an interactive ‘community notice board’. Village goers will also be asked to post up their thoughts on how mental health discrimination can be tackled so that Time to Change can learn directly from the local community. On the Village Green there’ll also be plenty of entertainment including music workshops from Lorraine Bowen, cupcake decorating and specially devised plays by theatre company ‘Likely Story’.
To ensure the village provides support and information for people with mental health problems in the Brighton area, a number of other mental health organisations and charities will run ‘The Surgery’ where information on local and national services will be available.
Simon Fanshawe OBE, Brighton based broadcaster and writer, said:
“Mental health is finally coming out of the closet. Recently when I talked about my own depression on TV, I received a large number of emails from people who said they felt far more confident these days to talk about their own state of mind. But it’s still very hard. And particularly for lesbian and gay people who, perhaps because we still have to struggle at first with who we are, experience poor mental health even more than the rest of the population. Amongst our friends and colleagues – gay and straight – we can start by looking out for each other. In a healthy community we recognise that what we say and do can have a positive or negative effect on others. So we can all do things that even, in a small way, help others to improve the quality of their lives. These include challenging our prejudices, talking about mental health and supporting local mental health initiatives”
Helen Jones, Director of MindOut added:
“We are delighted that MindOut is working closely with Time to Change to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination as experienced by people from the LGBT communities. We are involving our local volunteers in creating social change. Our anti-stigma project is launching at Brighton Pride 2013, so look out for us in Preston Park, and if you would like to get involved as a volunteer please see our website or emailinfo@mindout.org.uk.”
Angela Etherington, Time to Change regional coordinator for South East region concluded saying:
“We know that conversations between people with mental health problems and people without the same experiences are one of the most effective ways to challenge misconceptions and stereotypes. By entertaining and engaging people we expect that they will learn something new and feel less afraid of having more open conversations about mental health. The process of volunteering at a Time to Change event can also be a very empowering experience and volunteers often report that they have gained confidence, felt accepted and that their personal lived experience has been valued in a positive way”.
For more information about MindOut, CLICK HERE: http://www.mindout.org.uk
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