Dear all,

 

I just received this update on the “What A Difference” campaign, and it’s motivating to see that we were on the right track when we revised the scope of work of our implementation to include the activities during Spring Break at Daytona Beach and our myspace page:  bottled water giveaways, pictures posted in our myspace, free t-shirts.  Apparently, our myspace idea resonated with SAMHSA and they have also created one.

 

We will be heading to the beach this and next weekend, you’re all invited to join us!  We will be posting photos from the beach activities on the new and renovated MHACF website, which will be online soon!

 

Best regards,

 

 

March 2008 Update on the

Campaign for Mental Health Recovery (CMHR)

PSA Renewal Update

Many of you may have questions regarding the expiration date that is noted on the PSAs included in the community site kit and on those you receive from the Ad Council; please be advised that the expiration dates for the public service announcements (PSAs) developed for the Campaign have been renewed.

The new expiration date for all PSAs is November 29, 2008. Please share this information with your network.

If media outlets have questions about the date of expiration, please feel free to provide them with the contact information for the Campaign liaisons.

Social Networking

In continuing your work to support the CMHR, it is important to remember your target audience! Use social networking to spread the campaign message to 18- to 25-year-olds. This age group is highly attuned to passing information through viral/social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Google Video, and YouTube. 

Facebook:

Facebook is a social network that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

MySpace:

MySpace is similar to FAcebook, it allows individuals to create a network of friends who can share photos, information, and interests.

A Myspace page was created for the campaign and is available for viewing at www.myspace.com/whatadifference.  To date, the page has been viewed over 500 times and has 41 “friends” or individuals who have noted their interest in the campaign.

Google Video/YouTube:

Google Video and YouTube are searchable indexes of videos that are available for viewing by the public; anyone can add a video and have it seen by people all over the world. 

All of the TV PSAs developed for the Campaign are available on these sites and have been accessed quite a few times since they were posted. Below are some indicators of how many times each PSA posted on YouTube has been viewed. 

 Friends           7,315 views

Video Game    3,705 views

Door                3,362 views

Save the Date - CMHR community forum

A CMHR community forum will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 from 3 to 4:30 PM EST.  This forum will feature six of the twelve organizations implementing CMHR support activities through the state implementation awards. No registration is required for this event. Further information will be provided closer to the date of the event.

*The CMHR State Implementation Grants are awards provided to 12 organizations to support and enhance the CMHR through the development of State outreach and community-based efforts, mental health education, and stigma reduction activities.

New SAMHSA Publication Available

A new publication, Building Bridges Mental Health on Campus: Student Mental Health Leaders and College Administrators, Counselors, and Faculty in Dialogue, is available from SAMHSA’s National Mental Health Information Center (NMHIC).

The Mental Health on Campus meeting brought together university and college student leaders with mental health problems and college administrators, counselors, faculty and representatives from different sectors of the college mental health system including legal experts, researchers, and clinicians.  The dialogue meeting examined what helps and what hinders recovery on an individual and systems level and concluded with a series of recommendations to address the needs of college students with mental health problems and improve campus-based mental health services and administrative policies. 

To order this publication contact NMHIC at 1-800-789-2647 and request the publication using inventory number SMA07-4310.

CMHR T-Shirts

A great way to get the CMHR message to a variety of audiences is by creating marketing products that move, literally. What’s better than a t-shirt or a bumper sticker?

Did you know that you are permitted to use the tagline of “what a difference a friend makes” and put CMHR graphic images on t-shirts and other products?

We have received notice from the Ad Council that “any organization can print the campaign name or tagline on various materials; however, please keep in mind that individuals cannot manipulate the existing PSAs (TV, radio, print) due to talent constraints.” Also, “anyone is permitted to use the photos from the website and the images from the brochure; however, the Ad Council requests that partners send them the design before printing them if they decide to print the brochure images on t-shirts.”

Contact your Campaign liaison for questions or further information.

Campaign Collaboration

Here are 2 exciting examples of the CMHR at work:

As part of a statewide anti-stigma campaign entitled “What a Difference a Friend Makes,” Central Mississippi Residential Center (CMRC) held its First Annual Mental Health Day for area 8^th and 12^th grade students.  Over 500 students from local schools visited the campus of CMRC and learned that mental illnesses are treatable.  Students learned about the warning signs of suicide as well as what to do if they knew someone who might be suicidal.  Eighth and twelfth grades are difficult transition years for students, therefore coping strategies were discussed.  Feedback from students, teachers, as well as parents, has been ‘overwhelmingly’ positive.  Plans for next year’s event will include a separate program for parents and school personnel addressing these issues.  CMRC is building bridges into the community with the goal to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illnesses.

-           Frankie Johnson, Public Relations Director, MS CMHR partner, Central Mississippi Residential Center, 601-683-4200, fjohnson@...

As a partner to the CMHR, Wisconsin United for Mental Health (WUMH) is deeply involved in educating the public about mental illnesses and the impact of stigma and discrimination. To support our efforts, WUMH has developed and released a new resource tool, "Open Minds Open Doors: A Guide for the media."  There are limited supplies that the CMHR community and others can request to use in their stigma reduction efforts. National and Wisconsin resources are provided. The media guide provides basic information on reporting on mental illnesses and suicides. It includes clear explanations of stigma's impact on society and provides helpful information and guidelines for media professionals. If you currently work in media and would like to receive a copy of the media guide, please contact Marilyn Duguid, Coordinator for WI United for Mental Health, 2503 Todd Drive, Madison, WI  53713-2341, 608-251-1675, mduguid@....

 -          Rebecca Cohen, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Bureau of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, WI CMHR state coordinator