MHAW Day Two: Give
MEDIA RELEASE
6 October
Winning Ways to Wellbeing Mental Health Awareness Week 5-11 October
The Mental Health Foundation is issuing a challenge to all New Zealanders to focus on a Winning Way to Wellbeing every day for the working week. The Foundation says everyone has a part to play in looking after their mental health.
Today's challenge is to Give. This means doing something for a friend or stranger and seeing yourself and your happiness as linked to the wider community.
"Giving doesn't necessarily mean giving money or something physical. Giving time or attention to someone is very important," says Judi Clements, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.
Giving can be through such simple methods as volunteering in your community. For activity ideas on giving as an individual, workplace, community and more,visit the Foundation's online Mental Health Awareness Week toolkit.
Based on research by the Foresight Project that identified five ways to wellbeing, each Winning Way is a method everyone can use to support their own wellbeing and that of the people around them. Winning Ways to Wellbeing is also the theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week.
A series of exciting events have been planned for the week throughout New Zealand, including a fashion show and t-shirt launch, a gig, a fiesta, a CD launch, art exhibitions, a book launch, and more. Visit the online calendar.
Every day during MHAW, a new video on mental health will be available online on the Foundation's website. Today's video is a documentary that follows the making of Fighting Shadows, a moving CD single by Johnny Mattesson that is being launched during Mental Health Awareness Week.
A new range of t-shirts - designed for the Foundation by Mari Pettersson and using the concept of giving as inspiration - is also being launched today. The t-shirts will be available to order from the Foundation's online shop.
Mental Health Awareness Week is endorsed by the World Federation for Mental Health and marked in over 150 countries. World Mental Health Day takes place on Saturday 10 October.
For further enquiries please contact:
Carrie Briffett
Communications Officer
Mental Health Foundation
(09) 966 5725 or 021 918 220
carrie "at" mentalhealth.org.nz
