As we start to wrap up for the festive break, we wanted to extend our warm wishes to you this festive season and ensure you know our opening times and where and when you can get support. You can also click the link below to see additional options on our website. From all the staff and volunteers at TOG Mind, we wish you the very best for Christmas and the New Year. Please share this information across your networks. #MentalHealthMatters
https://www.togmind.org/contact-us/emergency-numbers
Yaran Northwest as a whole organisation, intends to use Connect 5 in the community with Middle Eastern residents, to support our community to develop a healthier quality of life and to preserve the cultural heritage of the Iranian community in Manchester.
We would like to deliver culturally sensitive and language appropriate mental health and well-being sessions based on the Connect 5 programme in several different languages, particularly for the middle eastern residents across Greater Manchester who have been further impacted by COVID 19.
This will be enabling and encouraging people to use and access technology to keep them connected to the outside world and reaching out to isolated people by telephone, and befriending.
We will be focusing on working closely with our colleagues and neighbourhood health workers to support the middle eastern community with easier access to Mental health support in the community and build an easier platform of referral pathways for bilingual practitioners and VCSE community based organisations.
The Connect 5 course will enable the local residents to:
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Extend participants skills and confidence to have mental wellbeing conversations within everyday practice
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Understand different public health models of mental health, mental illness and mental wellbeing
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Initiate conversations about mental wellbeing and possess the key skills needed
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Assess the nature and extent of the mental wellbeing issue being presented to ensure people get the right help at the right time
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Identify steps that can be taken to improve mental wellbeing
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Apply strategies and techniques relating to the five areas model
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Practice implementing self-management strategies to support successful change processes
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Practice working collaboratively to set goals
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Incorporate self-management strategies and resources into everyday practice.
Connect 5 training impact on Yaran Northwest as an organisation
The Connect 5 training has enabled trainers like me who are bilingual and from diverse communities, to increase our knowledge and understanding of supporting diverse groups of ethnic and migrant communities with their mental health needs and to be able to offer early support and prevention around mental health issues that they are faced with.
As a trainer based within Yaran organisation offering the course to residents across Gtr Manchester, it has enabled me and our organisation to increase confidence in working with diverse groups of ethnic and migrant communities, as well as empowering individuals in recognising their strengths, coping mechanisms and building of self-care platforms to managing their own mental health and well-being.
Mrs. Mel Safari CEO/Psychologist BABCP
Yaran Northwest CIC
Case study from Yaran Northwest Volunteer
“I was informed about the Connect 5 training by Yaran. I volunteered for the team on various Covid vaccine sites across Manchester. I learned a lot from the course. I felt it was really helpful and useful for me to apply to my personal life. I feel a lot of people would benefit from the course in the community especially in the times and climate of pandemic, isolation and being at home which has brought a lot of mental health issues to the surface for us all. I hope I can continue my volunteering support and work with Yaran on the delivery of Connect 5 training as an Ambassadors for Yaran and the community they serve”.
Yaran Northwest Bilingual/Volunteer
Leo Casey is the Greater Manchester Police Safeguarding Adults and Young People Lead. He’s there to support anyone around safeguarding issues and officer welfare generally.
When are you going to be doing your Connect 5 / Train the Trainer training?
“We’re due to complete our training in the next two or three weeks. Myself and 6 or 7 people in the Cadet Central team plus 2 or 3 people in HR. We also plan to have another cohort of cadet leaders trained in the summer.”
Tell me a little about your organisation and your plans to use Connect 5?
“The Police cadet schemes started nationally 8 or 9 years ago. They were launched without much ongoing support for people. In Greater Manchester this year, we will have around 300 police cadets on the scheme, aged 13-18, with around 60 – 80 volunteer leaders. We’ve recently being doing a thorough review. We’ve found that leaders/volunteers might not have all the skills they need to support our cadets. One of the key areas is mental health. Leaders need to have the confidence to talk to cadets and volunteers about their mental health to support them well. Connect 5 came along perfectly for us, enabling our team to have the confidence to have those mental health conversations but also when, where and how to get further support.”
What other health and wellbeing work or training do you engage with, that might be complementary to Connect 5?
“We’re considering several things for the whole force, Mental Health First aid and ACE’s training. I’d also like to look at implementing Teams, Turmoil and Transition training that I did myself some years ago.”
What’s the best thing that you personally like about Connect 5 and health and wellbeing improvement generally?
“Seeing the impact that it’s had on previous staff. 3 or 4 of my previous team in youth work management who were new youth workers completed Connect 5 and said it was so useful to gain confidence around mental health conversations. They loved it.
It’s important to give our current cadet volunteer leaders something similar. If you’re volunteering, your values are usually right but it might not be matched by your confidence and experience. We know that just having a conversation 9 out of 10 times helps young people. Giving leaders the confidence to do this is so important.
Also young people need support for their wellbeing now more than ever. It’s harder now with things like social media that can affect young people. As well as this, coming out of the pandemic, young people have lost a year out their life. Young people focused on being police officers can also have challenges around the pressure connected to this to achieve. We have a number of cadets as well who are recruited because they have been involved with criminality or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It’s very important then that we give our volunteers the appropriate training to support all these young people well around their mental health.”
The Tameside & Glossop NHS vaccine team based at Manchester Etihad have taken their work to another level over the last 12 months rolling out vaccines whilst fundraising for local mental health services at the same time.
As staff and volunteers became involved in the vaccine role out across Gtr Manchester, Alan Hill who’s been involved from the beginning, started making name badges for people and asking for donations to support Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind (TOG Mind).
What started out as 10 badges initially, became over 1400 badges created by Alan, with staff and volunteers donating to the cause when receiving them. Through generous donations the team have collectively raised £1677, helping ensure more people locally can access different types of mental health and wellbeing support.
Alan Hill (right) and Jason Bromley from TOG Mind at the Mass Vaccination Centre at the Etihad Tennis Centre.
Jason from TOG Mind, who joined the vaccine team recently to provide some wellbeing sessions and find out more about Alan’s journey said “Myself and everyone at TOG Mind are blown away by the kind donations and the work and dedication Alan has put in to help support his colleagues and of course mental health at a local level. He really has gone above and beyond whilst helping to roll out vaccines to help keep us all safe.
To find out more about TOG Mind, local wellbeing support and training or fundraising options, you can contact our office on 0161 330 9223.
Feeling connected in your community can be difficult at times but Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind has been helping people by providing a range of services and support that's easy to access and fun. This work before the pandemic was aimed at reducing isolation and helping people to feel more connected to others and where they live, through Mindfulness, Walk & Talks, Canal Boat trips, Allotment sessions, and Arts and Crafts.
When the pandemic hit, TOG Mind offered modified services online but it became even more apparent that connecting with others is a vital way to help maintain an individual’s wellbeing, so face-to-face services were slowly and safely re-introduced. Caroline Cook, who coordinates the Tameside adult wellbeing activities, said: "Following several co-production meetings, which involved TOG Mind Staff, Volunteers, and Service Users, we were able to develop a solid framework for what people in the community wanted from their local mental health services.
"Having their input made them feel heard, valued, and motivated to help make a difference. As an organisation, it gave us confidence in what we would be implementing and delivering."
Recently, TOG Mind has launched its new Wellbeing Hub at its home on Katherine Street in Ashton - which is designed to feel homely, comforting, relaxing, and somewhere anyone can come and feel welcome.
There are activities running through the week with an aim to have a full fortnightly timetable up and running in the New Year.
What TOG Mind currently have running:
- Next Steps (over 65’s Peer Support Group)
- Bob in for a Brew
- Autistic Adults Social Group
- Walk & Talks
- Mindful Photography
- Wellbeing Courses (How to Cope with Anger, Confidence & Self Esteem, Stress & Anxiety, and 5 Ways to Wellbeing)
- Mindfulness & Meditation
- Arts and Crafts
Plans for the New Year and beyond include Yoga Courses (starting January), Creative Writing, a Men’s Group, Food for Mood cooking classes, IT Skills, a Grief Café and LGBTQI+ sessions.
Available at all sessions are tea and coffee making facilities and evolving measures to ensure everyone’s safety in the current climate including hand sanitiser and face masks.
Anyone interested in any of the above can email Caroline at office [at] togmind.org or call TOG Mind on 0161 330 9223.
