Every human interaction represents an opportunity for one person to treat another with dignity — a dignity encounter. Individuals and families affected by mental illness can often describe what dignity should look like. Sadly, however, most experience something wholly different. The stigmas of mental illness can no longer be tolerated. We can no longer be bystanders. We must do something.
Every voice, every opinion matters. Be one of the one million Foundation Members. Your contribution will make a difference.
Why Joining Is Important
One in four adults will experience mental health difficulties. Over 450 million people globally experience mental disorder each year. Despite the commonly repeated mantra of ‘No health without mental health,’ people with mental health difficulties continue to face challenges in obtaining the help that they require. Stigma and discrimination are significant barriers to obtaining good mental health care and to accessing the everyday social activities that keep each of us mentally well. Stigma interferes with people’s full participation in society and deprives them of their dignity. People with mental health difficulties, their families, carers, governments, NGO’s (non-governmental organisations), professionals of all kinds and the associations that represent them would like all encounters to result in a positive dignity experience. To make dignity in mental health a reality requires every member of society to work together and make mental health visible, not something to be ashamed of. This is what the Dignity Project is all about.
Having A Voice
The voice of people with mental health difficulties needs to be heard. There is no health without mental health but there is no single, universally recognised symbol to represent mental health. Every human interaction holds the potential to be a dignity encounter, an interaction in which dignity comes to fore and may be positive or negative. The inspiration for a global mental health symbol that represents dignity in mental health has been developed using stories from all over the world provided by people who have experienced mental health difficulties, their relatives and carers.
The Lille Declaration
The International Conference, Mental Health for All – Connecting People and Sharing Experience held in Lille, France in 2015 has provided an opportunity for the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), its French Partners, friends and allies to work with a global branding organisation, ModelPeople and the Edo Agency to explore the notion of dignity in mental health. ModelPeople has co-ordinated research that has informed the inspiration for the design for the World Dignity Project working with people who have experienced mental health difficulties, their relatives, carers and friends living in Australia, Brazil, Chile, France, India, Israel, Mexico, Nigeria, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States of America. We are now inviting you to join us and to be part of the World Dignity Project. The World Dignity Project aims to identify one million individuals, organizations, countries and states to become Foundation Members by adopting the World Dignity Project Symbol so that we can form a global movement to address the stigma related to mental health and launch it to the general public worldwide in 2016.
Symptoms Are Not A Barrier To Recovery, But Attitude Is
Every voice, every opinion matters. Be one of the one million Foundation Members. Your contribution will make a difference. In my role as President-Elect of WFMH, the oldest mental health advocacy organization in the world, I would like to invite you to become foundation member of the World Dignity Project. With my deepest gratitude,
Gabriel Ivbijaro
President Elect World Federation for Mental Health
