Help us reach our goal of 50K mental health professionals in our volunteer network. Share these images on socials, via email, newsletters, or print them out and let’s work together to provide mental health care to those who need it.
Help us build strong, healthy, resilient individuals and communities.
Wellness Ambassadors are individuals who inspire their communities by modeling behavior that prioritizes mental health and emotional well-being. They are equipped with tools and resources from Give an Hour to help themselves individually as well as encourage others to care for themselves and ask for help when needed. They are not mental health experts. They are advocates for themselves, the community, and champion the work of Give an Hour.
450
Wellness Ambassadors and counting!
Everyone Can Be A Wellness Ambassador
WHO
- Anyone who wants to be a leader in the community. Employees. Bosses. Parents. Children. Teachers. Students.
- Anyone who values mental health and well-being.
HOW
- Complete the short sign up form above.
- Check your inbox for monthly emails about ways to connect with and support your community along with information about Give an Hour’s programs and opportunities.
WHAT
- Be as involved as you can or want to be.
- Lead by example: Make your mental health a priority.
- Encourage your community to follow your lead: Share tools and resources. Encourage everyone to talk about mental health.
BENEFITS
- Receive regular communication on how to walk the walk and talk the talk.
- Stay in the know about Give an Hour tools and resources.
- Early invitation to Give an Hour events.
- Connecting with a community of volunteers who share the same passion.
Wellness Ambassador Resources ◊
Wellness Ambassador Resources ◊
Wellness Ambassador Resources ◊
#GiveBack
- Ways to fundraise…Commit to doing a birthday fundraiser on FB, choose Give an Hour for your Amazon Smiles purchases, or go the tried and true route, organize a bake sale or car wash to donate funds.
In the United States there is a significant shortage of mental health providers compared to the need. Currently only one mental health provider is available for every 95 people who live with a mental illness. This doesn’t include a professional to support those who seek help for issues other than illness. Simply put, traditional methods of therapy are not sufficient to help everyone in need. Additional avenues to connect people with mental health care is at a critical point.
In 2015 Give an Hour launched a mental health campaign called the Campaign to Change Direction. The Campaign encouraged everyone to pay attention to emotional wellbeing and reminds us that mental health is just as important as physical health. As part of the campaign over 72 Million people learned the Five Signs of Emotional Suffering.
About Give an Hour’s Previous Mental Health Campaign
We are at a crossroads when it comes to how our society addresses mental health. We know that one in five of our citizens has a diagnosable mental health condition, and that more Americans are expected to die this year by suicide than in car accidents. While many of us are comfortable acknowledging publicly our physical suffering, for which we almost always seek help, many more of us privately experience mental suffering, for which we almost never reach out.
The Campaign to Change Direction started as a mental health campaign in the United States and grew on a global level. Everyone who joined was asked to learn and share the Five Signs of Emotional Suffering and the Healthy Habits of Emotional Wellbeing. These two copyrighted mental health tools developed at Give an Hour have become a resource for millions. Corporations, educators, parents, employers, churches, synagogues, communities, and even government entities use these two tools to highlight the importance of mental health.
Change Direction was inspired by the discussion at the White House National Conference on Mental Health in 2013, which came on the heels of the Newtown, Conn. tragedy.
How the Campaign to Change Direction Started…
- In 2013, Give an Hour President, Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D., put together a team after a conversation with staff from the Vice President’s office about the state of mental health in America following the tragic shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
- After studying the situation and meeting for several months, the steering committee recognized that significant knowledge and numerous resources exist to address the mental health issues and concerns that affect our citizens and burden our communities, nevertheless many in need are not receiving care.
- Despite the resources available, there is a need to improve the coordination and collaboration among stakeholders across sectors. In addition, the cultural obstacles that prevent those in need from seeking the care they deserve are significant.
- The conclusion: to improve our nation’s overall mental health we must change our culture so that mental health is seen as an important element of the human condition — something that we all have — something that we all should pay attention to.
- This conclusion fit well with Dr. Van Dahlen’s experiences working with the military/veteran community for nearly a decade. Our nation’s service members, veterans, and their families — like civilians — are often unable to acknowledge their mental health struggles and are often unwilling to seek care because of embarrassment, shame, or guilt.
Founding Partners of Change Direction in 2005:
- Aetna
- America’s Promise Alliance
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- American Psychiatric Association
- American Psychiatric Association Foundation
- American Psychiatric Association Publishing
- American Psychological Association
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Case Foundation
- Easter Seals
- Logistics Health Incorporated
- National Association of Social Workers
- Optum
- Umttr
- Volunteers of America
GIVE AN HOUR THANKS REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDED ECHNICAL ASSISTANCE DURING DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAMPAIGN:
- Joining Forces
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Office of the Army Surgeon General
- Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) produced three public service announcements (PSAs) as part of a co-sponsorship agreement with Give an Hour for the Campaign to Change Direction. The PSAs are designed to:
- Promote public education and awareness about mental health
- Educate our communities about the Five Signs of Emotional Suffering
- Identify resources so those in need can access help
- Encourage compassion and support for individuals with mental health challenges
