“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.
Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”
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- Nelson Mandela
About
Sport thrives on communication, connection and brings together the larger community - these factors are also fundamental pillars of Mental Health and Wellbeing. We know that sport has tremendous power to bring people together and our sporting heroes are looked up to by individuals across age groups and across oceans.
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An initiative by Kangaroo Minds, Sport Beats Stigma a movement which aims to not just curate space spaces for those having a struggle with their Mental Health but to also open up avenues to have conversations, increase the awareness and knowledge around issues like Mental Health and to smash out the stigma which sadly still prevails. Additionally, by working with sport players, we hope to not only equip them with the skills to better look after their own Mental Health while looking out for their teammates, but to also enable them to be role models for the cause.
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Starting with Mental Health, we soon aim to delve into other societal issues which impact our communities, and their overall wellbeing.
To harness the power of sport to make a positive difference in the lives of people by creating safe spaces with in communities for conversations, building more awareness and changing the narratives around social issues like Mental Health.
Mission
To spread awareness about social issues like Mental Health, make a positive impact on communities, and change the narratives through our initiatives which encourage conversations and connectedness in an environment of care.
Vision
Our 3 C’s for driving Change
Connect
Converse
Care
We look to build safe and non-judgemental spaces which have care at their core to help people feel that they can share and learn more about issues like Mental Health to better support themselves and others around them.
Conversations, if done in a safe, informed, and non-judgemental space can lead to enhanced awareness and a better understanding around crucial issues. We want to use these conversations to not just spread the awareness around Mental Health, but to also help people feel more supported and understood as stigma gets dispelled as well.
Sport provides an opportunity to connect and build camaraderie which can go a long way to help people feel like they belong and that they are not alone in what they might be experiencing. Feeling supported and connected to others can go a long way in helping people in this regard.
Initiatives
When it comes to talking about and taking action for Mental Health, we need to not just focus on Mental Illnesses, but also on how we can promote a better understanding of Mental Health, increase awareness of available support and resources, promote healthy coping mechanisms and encourage help-seeking behaviours. This will help to ensure that not only are we better able to help the 1 in 5 people who in will experience a Mental Illness, but also help the 5 in 5 of us to better look after and prioritise our Mental Health, just as we do for our physical health.
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With our initiatives, we aim to do just that - focus on helping those struggling with their Mental Health while also helping others better understand the nuances around their own Mental Health.
Let’s Get Talking
We’ve all the phrase ‘It’s never too late to start’ and this notion can be applied to Mental Health awareness as well. There is a significant gap in awareness and knowledge around Mental Health and this has contributed to stigma, misinformation and false perceptions.
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Let’s Get Talking is aimed at domestic teams, clubs, associations and school teams aims to equip players and all those involved in the sport (parents, volunteers, coaches, support staff for instance) in the various aspects of Mental Health with the aim of spreading awareness and building their knowledge so they can better support themselves and others with their Mental Health.
Smash the Stigma
Sport, particularly team sport, has the power of bringing people together which can go a long way to beat the isolation, loneliness & disenfranchisement when someone is having a hard time with their Mental Health or battling a Mental Illness.
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Smash the Stigma looks to bring together members of the local community to connect over their favourite sport and have informed conversations about crucial issues with trained volunteers within non-judgemental safe spaces.
This aims to change the way communities perceive these issues, provide them a safe space to turn to for support and encourage them to have these conversations without feeling alone or burdened with the fear of facing stigma and judgement.
Level Up
Level Up aims to help players understand the nuances associated with Mental Health through specialised training programs which can help them to look after their own Mental Health while also being able to better look out for and support their teammates should the need arise.
In addition to this, more focussed 1-to-1 support will also be provided to players to help cope with the challenges they are facing.
Conversations for Change
To spread the awareness and destigmatise the discourse around issues like Mental Health, we will host a series of conversations with sporting figures and other role models.
