World Mental Health Day 2019 – in Bristol and Beyond!

October 7, 2019 at 3:20 pm

World Mental Health Day takes place annually on 10th October, bringing national and international attention to mental illness and what it means for those living with mental health difficulties worldwide. There are always a rich variety of independently-organised events recognising and celebrating the day, and this year is no exception. This year, the Bristol Independent Mental Health Network have compiled a guide to the events taking place in Bristol and the immediate surrounding area that have a focus on mental health, or have been specifically organised to recognise World Mental Health Day.

For more information about any of the events or activities listed below, click on the event title to take you to a webpage that will provide more information.

Community Access Support Service (CASS) Bristol – Social Media Posters – 7th – 11th October

For World Mental Health Day this year, CASS have partnered with some local organisations to produce posters promoting their peer-support services. Watch out for these posters appearing on Twitter and Facebook, and throughout the city, from October 7th.

World Mental Health Day at Origin Workspace – Thursday 10th October – Origin Workspace

A day of events and activities dedicated to wellness and taking care of mental wellbeing, taking place at Origin Workspace, in Berkeley Square, near Clifton.

Reflection — A Curated art exhibition of mirrors – Thursday 10th – Sunday 20th October – Left Handed Giant Brewpub

Maya & Safehouse Present, in partnership with Off The Record, Bristol Mind & Left Handed Giant, Reflection – A Curated art exhibition of mirrors. This exhibition, featuring work from Artists, Illustrators, Designers, Sign Writers and Graffiti Artists, will be fundraising for Off The Record and Bristol Mind.

Dawn Till Dusk – Thursday 10th October – Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare

Warriors of Wellbeing and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership are organising a day of activity to celebrate World Mental Health Day 2019.

07:15: Dawn Dawgs Walk – a walk from Royal Sands along Weston beach. Richard and rescue dog Roobi, will be highlighting the mental health benefits of fresh air, exercise and contact with our four-legged friends. Please join us for the walk, chat about mental health and bring your furry friend too!
18:15: Sunset Guided Mindfulness – a guided mindfulness session at the end of Clevedon Pier.
18:45: Wellbeing Music Parade – follow the Ambling Brass Band along Clevedon seafront to the Salthouse Pub.
19:00: Mental Matters Pub Quiz – hosted at the Salthouse Pub Clevedon, all proceeds from this quiz go towards future mental health events and patient care. £1 entry.

Clothes Swap – Thursday 10th October – The Canteen, Stokes Croft, Bristol

Fancy refreshing your wardrobe? Changes Bristol are hosting a clothes swap, to co-incide with World Mental Health Day. £5 entry – all proceeds help Changes Bristol fund mental health services. For more information, take a look at the official Facebook event, linked in the title above.

Second Step Community Rehabilitation Service – Celebratory Event – Thursday 10th October – The Station Bristol

The Community Rehabilitation Service will is holding a celebratory event on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2019, for clients, staff and friends at The Station in central Bristol.

Dark Room: The Unseen Taboo: Discussion Event – Thursday 10th October – 14:00 – 16:00 – The Students’ Union at UWE, Frenchay Campus

Join students and Project Zazi (Off the Record’s BME youth mental health initiative) who will be creating a safe and inclusive space to discuss mental health in Black communities.

Fishing for Wellbeing – Starting Thursday 10th October

A new active wellness course, Fishing for Wellbeing, delivered by the Bristol Active Life Project, starts this World Mental Health Day.

Portishead Hopewalk – Saturday 12th October – 18:00 – 20:00 – Portishead

We are Aware, in association with Papyrus, are staging a lantern-lit Hopewalk around the Marine Lake grounds in Portishead to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental health. The walk will be joined by the The Ambling Band.

Mental Wealth Lab – Wednesday 16th October – 18:00 – 21:00 – Bristol Business School, UWE Frenchay

Ben Smith, from the401challenge, will deliver a talk as part of the UWE Bristol Mental Wealth Lab Initiative, discussing his experience of mental ill-health.

Celebrating World Mental Health Day – Open Discussion Event – Friday 18th October 13:00 – 15:00 – Old Market

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church will be holding an event at Fi Real Restaurant, Old Market, discussing the stigma surrounding anxiety and depression, mental health discrimination, and different types of mental health conditions. For more information, take a look at the poster for the event.

October 7, 2019 at 3:20 pm | News | No comment

Volunteering opportunities with the Independent Mental Health Network

October 2, 2019 at 11:47 am

BIMHN is the Bristol branch of the Independent Mental Health Network (IMHN), which represents a diverse community of past, current and future users of mental health services, as well as those with lived experience of mental health. By working together, we believe that we can be a force for positive change in the way that mental health is treated, perceived, and recognised.

As the network grows, we are looking for volunteers to join us and bring new skills and experience to the table. We have two different roles, which will greatly contribute to the work and projects that IMHN are involved with: Content Creators and Event Assistants. Both roles are a great opportunity to experience working with a growing start-up mental health charity.

Within both of these roles, there will also be the opportunity to support a campaign we are launching later this year focused on suicide prevention. This will see activities organised across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire encouraging people to open up about mental health and find out more about support they can access.

Role: Content Creators

We are looking to increase the range, diversity and frequency of our original content across multiple platforms. This includes our monthly newsletters, opportunity mailouts, website content including blog posts and news articles, and social media accounts.

Typical tasks would include researching and writing content for our websites and newsletters (this may include news items, blogs, comments on policy pieces) and drafting posts for social media.

What do we offer?

Experience in developing content for different platforms.
Visibility of content you post to an audience of thousands of people.
The opportunity to develop your skills and experience for use on your CV.
A reference letter confirming the skills you developed with us and the number of hours you volunteered for.

Role: Event Assistants

We are looking to increase the range, diversity and frequency of our events across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Currently we run several successful events and meetings across the area. These include:

Mental Health Conversations
Monthly Member Meetings
Panel discussions
Engagement activities through the Time to Change Campaign

Typical tasks would include assisting with event planning, promotion and evaluation; supporting attendees at events to ensure that they have the best experience possible; and supporting the development of an annual events cycle.

What do we offer?

Experience in running events and understanding the event planning cycle
Experience in project coordination.
Experience in understanding the policy landscape that mental health operates in.
The opportunity to develop your skills and experience for use on your CV.
A reference letter confirming the skills you developed with us and the number of hours you volunteered for.

Getting involved: what do we need from you?

The expected commitment is between 2 and 4 hours per week, which can be flexible to fit around other commitments (including studies).
Ability to work to deadlines.
Ability to absorb and interpret information.
Ability to be able to work as part of a team and communicate with others effectively.

Interested?

Send an email with your CV and a short covering letter (up to one side of A4) on why you would like to volunteer with us, what you would bring to the role and what you hope to get out of the role. Please send completed expressions to engagement[@]imhn.org.

If you have any questions or would like to know more, we would be happy to hear from you.

October 2, 2019 at 11:47 am | Opportunities | No comment