West Midlands Combined Authority is rallying the region to turn #BlueMondayGreen next week with the launch of the ‘This is Me West Midlands’ campaign.
The campaign launches on Blue Monday, 21 January, which is claimed to be one of the most depressing days of the year.
Buildings around the region including the Library of Birmingham, the Grand Central Atrium, PwC offices at Snow Hill and Birmingham Cathedral will be green-lit on Monday 21 to mark the launch of This is Me and help turn ‘Blue Monday Green’.
Organisers are urging people to wear green, the colour associated with mental health campaigns in defiance of the blues.
Developed in London by the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, alongside partners including Barclays, Mind and Time to Change, This is Me is a pioneering campaign that challenges the stigma around mental health at work by supporting people to tell their own stories through video, blogs or other medium, a concept initiated by Barclays.
This is Me West Midlands is being led by the West Midlands Combined Authority along with the launch partners, Amey, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Gowling WLG, KPMG, Birmingham Mind, Pinsent Masons, Public Health England and PwC.
Thrive West Midlands director Supt Sean Russell said the launch was a chance for everyone to show support for ending stigma around mental health and for employers to commit to building a supportive culture.
He said: “This is Me is a pioneering mental health campaign which aims to reduce the stigma around mental health in the workplace, dispel myths around poor mental health and raise awareness of the importance of wellbeing.
“Some 97% of organisations registered with This is Me believe the campaign has had a positive impact on reducing the stigma.”
Why not beat the Monday Blues with an act of kindness? Put a smile on someones face and ask them to pass on the kindness. You never know what it could lead too.
