Feniks’ anti-stigma campaign finalist for Scottish Charity Awards

Posted by See Me, 10 May 2023

“Shed your armour, show the scars!” has been nominated for Campaign of the Year at the Scottish Charity Awards.

The campaign was created by Polish Community Ambassadors and coordinated by Fenkis and See Me, aimed at challenging discrimination Polish men face when talking about their mental health.

It comes after a report from Feniks and NHS Scotland in 2018 found that the level of suicide among Polish men in Scotland was nearly twice as high as among the Scots.

“Shed your armour, show the scars!” encourages men to open up and challenge the stigma that keep them back from acknowledging their mental health problems.

Along with being nominated for Campaign of the Year at the awards, which are organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), Feniks will be calling for votes to claim the People’s Choice Award.

More than 30 individuals and organisations have been shortlisted, and members of the public can cast their votes by visiting scvo.scot/vote.

All votes must be cast before 5pm on Wednesday 24 May 2023.

Marlena Mkony, Polish social movement coordinator at Feniks, said: “We are extremely honoured that the campaign, and thus the issue that Polish men and their families face, has been heard. We are happy that its messages will reach more people. We want to kindly ask for your votes in the People's Choice Award."

To view the full list of finalists, visit the SCVO website.