Mental Health Monster CIC
Who wants mental health? What if I told you that you already have it? Everyone does.
Whilst we face rising suicide rates, increasing prevalence of mental health issues and a bit of global uncertainty thrown into the mix, we believe that the answer could be found in improving mental health literacy.
We’re at a stage where mental health awareness is at an all-time high thanks to tireless work from organisations such as the mental health foundation, YoungMinds and co. But now it’s time to go one step further. People need to learn how they can keep their minds healthy and what steps they can take to ensure good mental health.
This is where we come in. We adopt tailored approaches for our mental health projects based on a range of different target audiences, aimed at bringing mental health conversation and education to these groups in the way that they’re most likely to receive it.
The information is out there, we just need to package it up in a way that suits people, whether they feel like they need it or not. Everyone deserves the toolkits necessary to ensure a healthy mind
This could be through subtle methods that adopt the principles of nudge theory or guerrilla marketing, for example. Or through more obviously educational tools such as how-to guides or tips and tricks on social media, for example. We’re able to do this through the sale of merchandise, sponsorship, guest speaking, guest writing, consultations, product reviews, therapy affiliations, donations, grants and hopefully, going forward, some events and advertising revenue from our platforms. But we’re social down to our very core. Our Community Interest Company model ensures that, to continue our operations, we must maintain a social impact. And we’re currently exploring ways to do so in both an environmentally and financially sustainable manner.
We have three different target audiences for different areas of our model. Namely, young people (aged 18-24), business leaders with CSR targets (who will effectively fund our work) and then the target audience for each tailored project. I’ve used manual labourers as an example here.
If you’d like to know more about our story, read on…
(Trigger Warning: This story briefly mentions suicide)
“The idea originated from my personal experiences with mental ill health, from losing a loved one as he unfortunately lost his battle with mental illness to various dealings with my own ‘monster’ from a young age. It was often the case that, during my times of poor mental health, I felt as if there was a monster that was out to attack my mental health. After a long period of self-teaching, attending CBT and supporting others with their experiences I felt as though everyone deserves the chance to stay on top of their mental health. People shouldn’t have to wait for a crisis to learn how to keep their mind healthy. I wanted to put everything I’d learned right in front of them. Therefore, I took it upon myself to try and break down the barriers to accessing such vital information such as stigma, for example, and emphasising the importance of doing so. Consequently, Mental Health Monster CIC was born.” – Nathan Jackson, Founder
