Hello, How are You? – Mental Health Ireland Campaign
15th May 2024
An Impact Report carried out by Mental Health Ireland for its ‘Hello, How Are You?’ campaign showed that people are most likely to turn to friends and family for support with their mental health.
The national Hello, How Are You? campaign from Mental Health Ireland highlights the importance of staying connected, helps tackle loneliness, creates a sense of belonging and builds relationships. It also encourages early help-seeking through reliable information on mental health support services and signposting.
The Report showed an increase of 23% of people who said they would seek further help following the ‘Hello, How Are You?’ event or the campaign, from 6% in 2022 to 29% in 2023.
For those who sought help, 53% of people said they would turn to friends to talk about their mental health, while 33% chose a family member for support. 33% of respondents said they would seek help from groups with a mental health focus, 20% said health professionals and 13% said they would turn to a colleague.
According to the Report, the 2023 Hello, How Are You? campaign saw an increase in the number of event organisers who engaged in conversations and felt that the conversation had helped another person, with an increase of 9% from 71% in 2022 to 80% in 2023.
Today, May 15th there will be Hello, How Are You? events and volunteers all over the country. From coffee mornings to fundraising challenges, there’s lots of ways for communities, schools and workplaces to get involved with the campaign this year.
Hello, How Are You? As a campaign was developed through coproduction which is a way of bringing people together to work on a shared initiative. It is a strengths-based process that looks to incorporate people with lived experience of mental health challenges and other partners.
Partnerships such as Emerald Park, Irish Rail, Family Resource Centres, the HSE, Libraries, Park Runs have given power, reach and visibility to the campaign as well as the many community, voluntary and education organisations that have run events on the day and supported the campaign.
You can read the full report here:
