The Speak Your Mind (SYM) Campaign is a nationally driven and globally united campaign, advocating for ending the silence around mental health.
The aims of the campaign are to put pressure on governments to invest in, educate and empower people, so that they may have the support and resources for looking after their mental health. Speak Your Mind is an initiative of a UK-based NGO, United for Global Mental Health, alongside civil society organisations from 15 countries from across the world.
United for Global Mental Health was founded to create a united, worldwide effort to bring about greater action on global mental health, with the theme metal health for all being at the fore of its objectives. SAFMH is the country lead for Speak Your Mind in South Africa. All communications, projects and products related to the campaign are branded with the campaign’s colourful and recognisable branding.
Speak Your Mind online platforms
Online platforms have been created for the campaign as a means of distribution for all campaign related information and material. The social media accounts also act as an archive for everything campaign related as all event pictures and videos are stored there indefinitely.
SAFMH and Speak Your Mind
Through its engagement with Speak Your Mind, SAFMH has honed in on its strengths, which has been well reflected in the programmatic elements of the campaign. For the coming year, this will include the production of videos, based on the views of mental health care users and service providers at community level.
SAFMH will also continue to implement strategic advocacy efforts, with a particular focus on advocacy aimed at decision-makers. This is particularly relevant given the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created an additional, unforeseen and substantial global mental health crisis.
Ongoing partnerships and collaborations have proven to be an effective advocacy approach towards awareness raising, addressing the status quo, and destigmatising mental health. With this in mind, SAFMH will continue to nurture and grow its collaboration with partners.