Mental Health Mates

Peer to peer support via community walk and talks, to help people connect without fear of judgement.

Mental Health Mates is a nationwide network of peer-to-peer support groups that help all people move for their mental health and connect with others in a judgement-free space.

We provide a safe space for people to come together and connect without fear or judgement, creating a supportive network for people experiencing mental health challenges and an opportunity to turn negative experienc...

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Mental Health Mates is a nationwide network of peer-to-peer support groups that help all people move for their mental health and connect ...

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Join the communities already benefitting from starting a Mental Health Mates

You'll get guides and resources on how to bring this idea to life.

There is no funding available for this idea in Austria, but these resources will still help to make your project happen!

Not in Austria? Change your region
Start a Mental ...

Mental Health Mates has had a hugely positive impact on my life. I’ll never forget the day I went along to my first walk and got talking to a girl who was clearly having a difficult time. I connected, I resonated, I realised that I was experiencin...

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Mental Health Mates
Michelle - Leeds Walk Leader

How to start a project on ChangeX

  • 1

    Create your project page

    Click the green start button to register and set up your project page. It’s quick, free and easy.

  • 2

    Complete a 30 Day Challenge

    Complete simple steps in 30 days to get your project off the ground.

  • 3

    Activate your project

    Follow the 5 Step Guide and your action plan to bring the project to life.

  • 4

    Share impact

    Share impact by posting a summary and photos and completing a survey.

Great for

  • Anyone above the age of 18
  • Someone who wants to bring people in the community together
  • Someone who is excited about the opportunity of getting outside for mental health
  • Someone who wants to connect

Mental Health Mates project essentials

5 Step Guide

  • Register to Become a Walk Leader
  • Create your Own MHM Email Address
  • Complete the MHM Walk Leader Training
  • Choose the Location, Date & Time of your First Walk
  • Create & Share Your Poster

Time

Suggested: Suggested: You'll need to organise and partake in at least 1x 1 hour walk per month (though you are welcome to organise more than that). The training to get started will take about 4-6hours (online)

Resources

More information on how to get started and any resources shared by the Mental Health Mates

Meet the Social Innovator

Welcome to Mental Health Mates on ChangeX! It starts with a walk. Connect with your local community, meet like minded people and speak freely without fear of judgement, whilst taking in the restorative effects of nature. Explore your local parks or woods and finish with a nice cup of tea. Find out here how you can create Mental Health Mates walks in your communities.

Bryony Gordon - Founder of Mental Health Mates

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why a 30 day challenge?

    The 30 Day Challenge was developed by our Team based on our experience working with communities. We’ve learned that the first weeks are critical to build momentum and get off to a good start with any community project. Teams who complete these steps within the first month are much more likely to successfully complete their project!

    The Challenge is a series of simple steps that each applicant has to complete to get their project off the ground and unlock funding, if there is funding currently available for that idea in your region. Steps include watching a video and/or reading content, having a call with a ChangeX team member, forming a team so that you have support, having your first team meeting, sharing a team photo, and sharing a project action plan.

  • What can funding be used for?

    Once funding is received it can be used to cover direct set-up costs of the new community project. For example space rental, insurance fees, seeds and planting materials, tools, training fees; pretty much any materials you might need for a project that benefits your community.

    Funds cannot be used for the costs of work that has already been carried out, costs unrelated to the setup and maintenance of the new project, payments to group members for their work on the project. Funds can’t be used for the promotion of religious causes, non-charitable activities, sponsorship or fundraising events. Please read the terms and conditions for further details.

  • How do I know if there is funding available?

    On idea pages, if there is funding available for the idea in your region you will see “Funding available” and the region listed in the turquoise box. When you first login you will also see a green banner at the top of the screen saying “live funds near you” if there is funding available in your region. The ChangeX homepage will feature those live funds near you.

    A note on the waitlist: when all the funding has been allocated to applicants, new applicants will go on a waitlist. If some applicants that are in the fund don’t successfully complete the 30 Day Challenge their funding will be released and can be then allocated to those on the waitlist. To see if you are going on a waitlist check the main fund page, ideas fully allocated will have the note “Join the waitlist” instead of “Apply to start”.

  • What is ChangeX?

    ChangeX is a platform that connects communities to proven ideas and funding.

    By empowering local changemakers with proven ideas from social innovators and accessible funding from our partners, we aim to build healthier, more inclusive and sustainable communities. Our work is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and together with our partners, we aim to impact 1 billion people globally by 2030.

    • Communities: Get the funding, resources and support you need to start impactful projects in your community.
    • Social innovators: Connect with local changemakers, access funding to scale your idea, and impact more communities globally.
    • Funders: Fund the themes and regions they care most about, with measurable impact, and at global scale.

    We believe that by bringing the best social innovations and the world’s changemakers together in a shared community, we can accelerate the spread of innovations across the world and have a bigger impact. Together we aim to unleash the potential of changemakers by enabling collaboration, by sharing knowledge and resources, by connecting changemakers across different disciplines and innovations and by opening up access to the world’s best proven social innovations to everyone.

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