Time to Change is a growing social movement that works to change the way we all think and act about mental ill-health. This anti-stigma campaign has reached millions of people and continues to improve attitudes and behaviour towards mental health. Statistically, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year and this is one of the many reasons the work of the Time to Change Campaign is so important.
On 6th February 2020, Leicester Life Links joined in to support the campaign by prompting everyone to start a conversation on Time to Talk Day. The Leicester Life Links team were holding various workshops and promotional stands throughout the city and the turn out was remarkable!
Check out some of our activities below
Haymarket Shopping Centre
Our team (Louise, Jessica, Ravina and Malwina) were at the Haymarket Shopping Centre in Leicester City Centre from 9am to 4pm. They were also joined by existing Time to Change champions, Jess and Mark. The stand consisted of conversation starter games, would you rather scenarios and lots of other promotional leaflets and booklets which all contained information about the Time to Change movement and tips on how to start a conversation about mental health with a colleague, friend or family member. The aim was to promote conversations around mental health to empower others to discuss how they are feeling and be able to reach out and access support if they feel they need to.
Let’s Talk at Wesley Hall
Shannon, Alex and Nidhi from the team presented a workshop at the Time to Talk event held at Wesley Hall in the East of the City. The workshop ‘Lets Talk!’ was based on the anti-stigma message as well as this years time to talk theme, effective listening. The team focused on ways that individuals could become an effective listener through looking after their own feelings and being able to engage at the time of conversation. The workshop was well engaged with and got participants thinking about their previous actions in these situations as well as introducing to them tips and advice. The team also held a number of meaningful conversations with members of the public after the workshop, identifying ways that they could support the campaign, either by signing up as a Time to Change Champion or through simply practicing conversation in their lives.
Leicester College
Jeni, Shante, Leah and Lise delivered the ‘Lets Talk!’ workshop at Leicester College for staff members. This was well received and we really enjoyed it! We’ve had the privilege of working with Leicester College before, where we spoke to students about managing stress, so it was great to get the chance to speak to the staff this time!
We also got to hold promotional stands at all campuses, where we shared information about our services and the broader Time to Change agenda. We would like to thank everyone who joined us in moving that one step close towards ending the stigma around mental health and starting a conversation this Time to Talk Day.
Wait – there’s more!
We are also recruiting Time to Change Champions. Time to Change Champions are people with lived experience of mental ill-health who campaign to change the way people think and act about mental health. The Champions network is an opportunity to meet like minded people and campaign together to change attitudes and behaviours. We are happy to meet individuals interested in becoming Champions and it was lovely to share such meaningful conversations around mental health. If you’re interested, please get in touch today or check out our dedicated web page.
