Mental Health Campaign in Gaelic

Mental health activists in Stornoway will be spreading a vital message, in English and Gaelic.

See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end mental health discrimination, has been working with their local community champion, Murdo Macleod, to create a mental health campaign in Gaelic.

The Pass the Badge Campaign was originally created by Moffat mental health activist Richard Monaghan, to challenge mental health stigma, which is having a devastating impact on people’s lives.

People wear the badge for a day and then pass it on to someone else to wear for the next 24 hours. When people pass it on they share two facts, that one in four people will experience some form of mental health problem this year and of those who do, nine out of ten report experiencing stigma and discrimination.

The local campaign will launch on June 18th.

Murdo Macleod said: “It’s very rare for mental health campaigns to be in Gaelic, hopefully this will be a springboard for future bilingual campaign literature in the Gaelic heartlands.

“Having culturally competent and sensitive Gaelic campaign literature gives respect to and regard for the unique culture of the Western Isles. This will touch a chord with many in the islands, particularly in our rural areas where Gaelic is strongest.

“These resources will also demonstrate the importance of every culture acknowledging the universality of mental health issues.”

Article Extract taken from Hebrides News