Time to Change Wales’ response to COVID-19
We hope that you and your loved ones are keeping safe during these extremely difficult times. We know that this outbreak will have a significant impact on those already struggling with their mental health and that a ripple effect will be felt for many months to come as a result of this global crisis. We encourage you to reach out to loved ones, connect and offer to support to those who need it. Small acts of kindness will help people to feel connected and that they are not alone.
We want you to know that we are still here for you in these difficult and unprecedented times. Now, more than ever we must remember the importance of supporting one another with mental health. There are still a number of ways to get involved with the Time to Change Wales campaign - whether that be through virtual pledge signings, virtual anti-stigma talks, virtual Employer workshops, writing a blog, downloading our free resources or showing your support on social media.
Given the current circumstances, we are suspending all face-to-face delivery. We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and strictly follow government guidelines. As soon as it is safe for us to return to our normal activities, when we do so and our voice will come back stronger than ever.
Thank you for your continued support in tackling mental health stigma in Wales.
Please get in touch to info@timetochangewales.org.uk if you have questions or ideas you wish to share with us during this time.
If you need urgent support please remember we have our support page for help.
Book your anti-stigma talk now
The last few months have been difficult for many as we adapt to new ways of doing things – this is especially true in the workplace, where many of us have had to work from home or been off work altogether. In these unprecedented times it has been more important than ever to look out for one another and to support each other’s mental health. A key way of doing this is by encouraging people that it's 'okay not to be okay' and to reach out and to talk to someone.
Why not reassure your colleagues that it is okay to talk, by inviting them to hear one of our Champions deliver a virtual anti-stigma presentation? Anti-stigma presentations are a great way to highlight some of the key facts about mental health and mental illness, challenge stigma (including self-stigma) and to hear about the Champion’s personal experiences of mental illness and the challenges they have overcome.
Our Champions can deliver talks via platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and similar, or we have some pre-recorded and audio talks available for you to share too! Talks last around 20 – 30 mins followed by an opportunity for Q&A and are completely free of charge. If you would like to book a talk, or would like further information, please contact info@timetochangewales.org.uk.
Online Champion Training
We are pleased to announce that we are now offering virtual Employee Champion Training via Zoom for Pledged Organisations.
These training sessions will involve:
● Either a 2 hour session or two 1 hour session over consecutive days
● Fully interactive sessions including a quiz via Kahoot
● Small 'breakout groups' to allow for discussion
If you are interested in booking a training, or to find out more please email pledge@timetochangewales.org.uk.
Virtual Pledge Signings
On May 20th 2020, we hosted our first ever virtual pledge signing with The Niche Group Ltd. Given the current circumstances we are finding new and alternative ways of continuing to work with our Employers. We are delighted that we can still offer the opportunity for anti-stigma talks and Pledge Signings.
“As this was the first pledge signing of its kind we were really grateful to Rhys and Tom for working together with us to put it together and to show that Pledge Signings can still be done successfully and to a high standard, and we’d encourage other employers to embrace the new format too!”
If you are interested in booking your pledge signing, or to find out more please email pledge@timetochangewales.org.uk.
Virtual Networking Events
We have launched a series of virtual networking events via Zoom for Pledge Employers and for Organisations interested in signing the Time to Change Wales pledge. The events provide an opportunity for employers to hear the latest updates from Time to Change Wales’ Employers team on some of our new resources and to gain new ideas on activities to try, and an opportunity to hear from other employers who will be sharing their best practice in our case study session. The virtual events are interactive and we encourage as much participation and input as possible from participants. Please create an Employers Account to be added to the mailing list for future events.