Mental Health Awareness Month campaign

Mental well-being is one of the main topics of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform. Mental health concerns are rapidly growing nowadays, influenced by wars, unstable economies all over the world, and other factors. That’s why this issue is quite relevant and requires great attention to be paid.

The Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen held in 2023 was dedicated to the theme of mental health. In particular, an international study conducted in 11 countries for the Summit confirmed that maintaining mental health is among the top 5 challenges of our time.

In May 2024, we launched a communication campaign about mental health awareness. From a historical perspective, May became Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949, when a nonprofit organisation called ‘Mental Health America’ declared May to be the month dedicated to mental care. Since then this tradition continues to live and develop.

Throughout May, nine First Ladies and Gentlemen recorded video addresses, where they discussed the ways of supporting mental health during the war, the state’s role in promoting citizens’ well-being, the personal techniques that help them manage stress, and the initiatives they had launched to aid their citizens. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog, First Lady of Belize Rossana Briceño, First Lady of Serbia Tamara Vučić, First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė, Former First Lady of North Macedonia Elizabeta Gjorgievska, and Spouse of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania Linda Rama, as well as First Gentleman of Slovenia Aleš Musar and First Gentleman of Denmark Bo Tengberg, gave their video addresses.

The campaign began with an online speech by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, where she highlighted the action of helping others as the way to protect your mental health. Mrs Zelenska also stressed the importance of getting timely psychological help, reminding about the Ukrainian national mental health programme ‘How are you?’ Similarly, Israel’s First Lady Michal Herzog emphasised the importance of compassion and listening to those in pain, creating space for healing and recovery.

According to the First Ladies of Belize and Serbia, personal self-care strategies also play a vital role in mental health care. Thus, Rossana Briceño from Belize draws strength from compassion and positive relationships, while Tamara Vučić from Serbia finds relief in writing and poetry.

In their turn, the First Gentlemen of Slovenia and Denmark, Aleš Musar and Bo Tengberg, underlined the therapeutic effects of nature, animals, and peer support, urging people to seek help when needed and engage in unselfish acts for personal growth and healing.

‘It really works being in nature, going along the seaside, or in the forest, spending time, clearing my thoughts. But I think what is quite important is that you actually use your close relations, that you trust and have the courage to speak out,’ – said Bo Tengberg.

Check out the Global Platform’s official Instagram account and watch our mental health awareness month campaign videos with the #SoftPowerForMentalHealth hashtag.

The campaign with video addresses was not the only initiative of Global Platform in May dedicated to mental health. Furthermore, this month, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska visited Belgrade at the invitation of Serbian First Lady Tamara Vučić to participate in a mental health conference. This meeting continued discussions initiated at the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv in autumn 2023. Together, the First Ladies also visited the Center for Youth CEZAM, a Serbian government initiative developed in collaboration with psychiatrists and psychologists to support the mental well-being of young people and adults under 30.