Compass Support, a charitable subsidiary of The Pioneer Group is working with mental health charity Mind and organisations such as Jaguar Land Rover to deliver a packed programme of activities for Mental Health Awareness Week on 13 – 19 May 2019.
With one in four people experiencing mental health issues at some point in their lives, Compass Support is looking to remove barriers and to get people talking about mental health.
The packed programme is built on the success of last year’s events and covers multiple aspects of mental health, including:
Monday 13 May – Birmingham MIND will be providing an open-door service at The Sanctuary in Castle Vale where professionals will be offering a wide range of advice and guidance on a number of issues related to mental health, including anxiety & depression. From 12pm – 1pm there will also a walking group leaving from Castle Vale High Street featuring a ‘walk and talk’ session focussing on strategies for positive mental health.
Tuesday 14 May – A Think Positive group will be held from 9:30am – 11:30am at The Sanctuary highlighting sport as an approach to improving positive mental wellbeing. Birmingham Mind will also be at Falcon Lodge Community Hub for the afternoon offering a drop-in service.
Wednesday 15 May –Switch FM (107.5FM) will be hosting a late-night phone-in on to encourage listeners to call in and speak to a range of professionals who will be live on air.
Thursday 16 May – The ‘Couch to 5K’ running group will be leaving from The Sanctuary at 5pm with mental health discussion points throughout the walking section of the activity.
Friday 17 May – A Mental Health Awareness community event will take place from 11am – 3:30pm at The Sanctuary with a range of activities and guests including Aquarius, MIND and PAPYRUS along with entertainment and refreshments.
On Sunday 19 May, the highlight of the Mental Health Awareness week programme will be the community football tournament at Castle Vale Stadium. With 12 local teams joining the 7 a–side tournament, organisations such as JLR, GKN and DHL have entered. A market place at the event will also provide information about mental health support.
The Compass Support youth team will be delivering a number of events to engage the younger members of the community – the young people have themed their week around the five pillars to wellbeing and built a timetable for the week:
Monday 13 May – Keep Learning: This will see the delivery of a mental health awareness workshop from 4pm – 6pm at The Sanctuary.
Tuesday 14 May – Take Notice: An art therapy session will take place from 4pm – 6pm at The Sanctuary where young people will be creating art pieces that will be used to promote positive mental health within their setting.
Wednesday 15 May – Keep Active: At 4pm at Farnborough Fields there will be the first adults vs young people rounders competition.
Thursday 16 May – Connect: A family fun evening will be taking place at The Sanctuary from 7pm – 9pm that will see performances by local young people including singing and dance, a quiz night and other entertainment.
Friday 17 May – Give: A group of young people will be visiting Acorns Children’s Hospice and will be setting up a year-long campaign where the young people within the Castle Vale community will be raising funds for much needed equipment at the hospice.
A number of commercial organisations have also committed to donations that will support ongoing mental health activities across the Erdington area, this includes; the YMCA, which will focus on mental health from a male perspective; The Crown in Erdington will be offering a bereavement group session; The Cube in Erdington will be delivering an arts and crafts activity and the Oikos Café will be delivering a Dying Matters roadshow.
Health Project Worker, Philip Harris at Compass Support explains the aims of the awareness week:
We are hugely proud of the programme we have in place. Our week long activities will provide information about common mental health illnesses and work towards reducing the stigma associated with mental health. We are creating an environment in which the residents of Castle Vale feel supported and able to disclose/embrace their mental health. With more people set to be involved than last year, we hope that our all members of our community will benefit from the resources and initiatives available to them.
Call Compass Support on 0121 748 8111 to find out more about any of the events taking place.
You can follow all the events on social media using #MINDyourhealth