BEYOND SPORT CELEBRATES & RAISES AWARENESS ON WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2018
10th October 2018 marked the 26th annual World Mental Health Day, founded by the World Federation for Mental Health. Each year, Beyond Sport joins the global community in raising awareness around mental health and wellness, an issue that is increasingly impacting all sectors of our society.
Sport can play a unique role in improving our mental wellbeing, and raising awareness about forms of illness. Physical activity and teamwork alone can help combat anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.
This year we celebrated a number of projects that entered the 2018 Beyond Sport Global Awards that use sport to improve mental health in their communities:
Generation Gains by the Saints Foundation
Generation Gains aims to tackle social isolation, loneliness and associated health consequences in older adults using sport and exercise sessions to improve mental health.
Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation by World Taekwondo
This international federation aims to help some of the 22 million refugees worldwide recover from and deal with trauma through martial arts and exercise.
Netball 4 Change by the Change Foundation
Netball 4 Change works with marginalised girls and young women aged 13 – 17, teaching them how to stay safe on social media while empowering them to think positively about their own image.
#RunandTalk by England Athletics
#runandtalk is an England Athletics initiative supported by Mind, the mental health charity, which aims to improve mental health in England through running.
Everton Free School by Everton Football Club
Everton Free School (EFS) has been open for six years and in that time, has educated hundreds of young people, engaging them with sport to become open to conversations around mental health, diet and fitness and improving life styles.
Transformation Through Triathlon by i-tri
i-tri uses the sport of triathlon and the power of team-building, mentorship and relationship-building to help middle school-age girls develop lifelong habits and behaviours that promote mental and physical health.
Talking About Mental Health Is Not A Red Card Offence...
thinkBeyond is running Legal & General’s second annual mental health forum in three weeks’ time. The Not A Red Card Forum on 30th October at The Kia Oval, will focus on how we can raise awareness, educate and implement programs that make the workplace safe to talk about mental health.
The event will bring together the worlds of business and sport to share techniques that can boost the mental wellbeing, engagement and performance of individuals and teams.
Double Olympic Gold Medalist Lizzy Yarnold is the latest athlete to join this campaign:
The insurer will also be announcing the winners for the Not A Red Card Awards, celebrating those businesses who are already employing tactics protecting their team’s mental health. To view the Official Shortlist, click here.
Stay in the Game: Sports Addressing Mental Wellness
We also want to highlight the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance). Following a successful collaboration at Beyond Sport United 2018, together we have launched an innovative new partnership to leverage the power of sport to promote mental wellness.
In early 2019, Beyond Sport and the Action Alliance will convene leaders in Washington, DC for a special invite only event to advance efforts to address mental health issues in the US. And going a step further, together we will initiate a national member network of key stakeholders that will continue to collaborate on innovative approaches to address the issue through sport. To see how your organization can take part, email [email protected].