Foreword....
.... by Suzie Vestri, Campaign Director ‘see me’
Welcome to ‘see me’s Campaign Toolkit ‘Act Local’.
We are extremely fortunate to have a national campaign in Scotland which provides leadership and support in challenging stigma and discrimination. ‘see me’ works best when local areas link nationally and take responsibility for reducing stigma and discrimination locally. The toolkit brings together the learning gained over the last 6 years from across Scotland in the hope that this supports local areas to work with ‘see me’ to effectively eradicate stigma and discrimination in the families, schools, communities and workplaces where we live and work.We are extremely fortunate to have a national campaign in Scotland which provides leadership and support in challenging stigma and discrimination. ‘see me’ works best when local areas link nationally and take responsibility for reducing stigma and discrimination locally. The toolkit brings together the learning gained over the last 6 years from across Scotland in the hope that this supports local areas to work with ‘see me’ to effectively eradicate stigma and discrimination in the families, schools, communities and workplaces where we live and work." (Kevin O’Neill, NHS Lanakshire)
‘see me’ has made some great strides forward in tackling the stigma and discrimination of mental ill-health. We know that the Scottish public’s attitudes are changing for the better, but that there is more to be done.
‘see me’ knows that we can’t run the whole campaign ourselves. We have a small staff team and, besides, no one knows what works locally better than the people who live there – and ‘see me’ certainly doesn’t have the monopoly on good ideas!
Whether you’re an individual or an organised group, in a small village or a city centre, whether you’ve had direct experience of mental ill-health or not; everyone is welcome to help run ‘see me’ at a local level. The good news is that what you do and how you do it is up to you – and ‘see me’ can help.
The ‘see me’ campaign is something of which Scotland can be very proud. By working together we can create a Scotland in which mental health stigma and discrimination is a thing of the past.
Enjoy the Toolkit – and let us know how you get on!