Mental health starts with something simple: Global Platform’s campaign resonates across continents

In May, on Mental Health Awareness Month, the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform launched an international social campaign that reached over 12,5 million people worldwide. The campaign, titled ‘1000 Pieces of Your Mental Health,’ became a space of global solidarity, reminding us all that mental well-being is not built in isolation — it’s nurtured daily, in small, often invisible ways. 

The initiative was developed in collaboration with Saatchi&Saatchi Ukraine, who co-created the visual identity and concept together with the Global Platform. 

Now in its third year, the Summit’s Global Platform speaks directly to people across continents, inviting them to pay attention to their mental health — this time, through the small rituals which can bring comfort and balance, especially in difficult times. 

This year, the campaign reached more than 12,5 million people worldwide and brought together voices from across the globe, including 7 First Ladies and Gentlemen: Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine; Armanda Begaj, First Lady of Albania; Rossana Briceño, First Lady of Belize; Sirje Karis, First Lady of Estonia; Dr Lucrecia Peinado, First Lady of Guatemala; Tamara Vučić, First Lady of Serbia, and Dr Aleš Musar, First Gentleman of Slovenia. Each of them shared a personal reflection on what helps them maintain their mental balance, from comforting rituals to quiet moments of presence. 

The initiative also featured public opinion leaders, such as Timur Miroshnychenko, a Ukrainian TV presenter and journalist, and Frank Peter Wilde, a Berlin-based human rights activist, stylist, and designer. They shared their own simple but meaningful “recipes” for well-being, adding personal voices to the campaign’s message of everyday care. 

Several organisations and changemakers, including Superhumans Center, Spilne Art, UNBROKEN Foundation, UNICEF, the ‘How are U?’ All-Ukrainian Mental Health Support programme and Ukraine.ua, supported our initiative. Veterans, artists, thought leaders and different people across professions and backgrounds shared their pieces of mental health: performing music, speaking with people, etc.

The campaign is bilingual, incorporating both English and Ukrainian, to enable people from all over the world to join the conversation. Participants were encouraged to reflect, share, and amplify the campaign’s message: mental health starts with something simple, and your small habit might become someone else’s lifeline.