Creating a happier & healthier city together
Inroduction
Thrive is an international movement which is built on the premise that good mental health can only be achieved through broadly based activities which seeks to embrace and protect the mental health of a whole community. Thrive Dublin is a participation -led citywide movement that aims to create an emphasis on wellbeing and mental health in all communities throughout the city. The objective is to create a happy and healthy habitat for all citizens, an environment that could be conducive to positive mental health and a programme which reflects the character and identity of our Capital city.
Each international Thrive initiative is designed to address the needs of their target population.
Thrive Philadelphia
While working as Philadelphia’s Commissioner of Behavioural Health, Dr Arthur Evans quickly recognised that it would not be possible to respond effectively to each presenting individual. His mental health services were being overwhelmed by a growing demand for services. It would not be possible to meet the prevalence challenge by responding to each individual’s mental health needs, one by one. He came to the view that only a wider, whole population approach could be successful in reducing the escalating demand for services.
As an innovator, he looked at the issue form a novel perspective and instead of trying to ‘treat his way out’ he focused instead on the living environment, the educational and employment opportunities, housing and community connection and the challenge many parents faced in trying to provide a nurturing and safe environment for their children.
Dr Evans enlisted the support of a broad coalition of agencies, few of whom had ever seen themselves as having any role in promoting or protecting mental health. He engaged with educators, local authorities, employers, police officers and city planners. He quickly discovered that each of these agencies had unique talents, wisdom and insights, and if coordinated, could make a very particular and positive contribution. He also discovered that they were more than happy to cooperate and lend their support. Their shared objective was to create a happy and healthy habitat for all citizens and an environment that could be conducive to positive mental health. The novel simplicity of this idea quickly took hold.
Thrive London
When Sadiq Khan was elected Mayor of London in May 2016, he pledged his support to create Thrive London. The Mayor’s office has partnered with the NHS, London Councils, Public Health England and the Healthy London Partnership to create Thrive LDN. A small, dedicated team began by conducting some baseline research to gauge public appetite for such an initiative and this lead to an elegant campaign which addressed Londoners directly. The simple question was ‘Are we OK London?’
This theme was developed into a series of related questions ‘Are we Ok with 2 million Londoners experiencing poor mental health?’, ‘Are we Ok with 14 Londoners dying by suicide each week?’ The campaign was designed on a limited and finite budget and leveraged a broad coalition of civic, arts sporting and business partners. Employers became actively involved and a grass roots movement began to emerge, engage the community and develop a positive media profile.
Some very simple, informal and authentic human scale concepts proved to have a profound effect. One idea was to set up two deck-chairs in a public space, one marked Helper and the other marked Helped using simple hand drawn signage. After a short time two people sat into the deck-chairs, a Policeman and a young Homeless man. Interestingly, the Policeman was seeking help and the Homeless man had the time and empathy to listen and show compassion. This installation illustrated the need for connection, relationship and the desire to be assistive which is often displaced in our busy urban lives. Yet it is this connectivity that is essential to achieving and sustaining good mental health, a sense of belonging and connection.
Thrive New York
In New York, Dr Gary Belkin worked with the Mayor, Bill de Balsio to create New York City Thrive. Mayor de Blasio has now committed 1% of his Mayoral Budget ($850m over 4 years) to support a multi-annual, multi-agency initiative which mobilises all aspects of city life. The New York City Thrive programme integrates 54 distinct, but complimentary, evidence-based projects which promote mental health for all citizens in New York City.
Caroline Brogan – Your local Mental Health Development Officer
Caroline Brogan has recently been appointed as the Mental Health Ireland Development Officer for Kildare and North Dublin
Caroline will be the point of contact for your area for various training and support services with a keen focus on the promotion of Mental Health.
A bit about Caroline
Caroline lives in Johnstownbridge, County Kildare, perfectly situated between the neighbouring counties she will work with. She is delighted to spearhead new projects for North Dublin and Kildare specifically.
Along with over a decade of experience of working in mental health within the HSE, Caroline is a qualified trainer and facilitator for Community Development & Leadership gained at Maynooth University, and holds a Post grad in Mental
Health Thrive
Thrive – Caroline is one of the leads on Thrive Dublin, an international movement which is built on the premise that good mental health can only be achieved through broadly based activities which seeks to embrace and protect the mental health of a whole community. Thrive Dublin is a participation -led citywide movement that aims to create an emphasis on wellbeing and mental health in all communities throughout the city. The objective is to create a happy and healthy habitat for all citizens, an environment that could be conducive to positive mental health and a programme which reflects the character and identity of our Capital city.
Contact
Email: caroline@mentalhealthIreland.ie
Phone: 0872542158