1. WEB SUMMIT
Connecting Young People With The Resources To Thrive
The Mental Wealth Vision
SPONSORS & ASSOCIATES:
2. CONTENTS
• Why ‘mental wealth?’
• Cultivating wellbeing
• So what do we do
• Overcoming blinkered thinking
• The role of peer-to-peer
• A whole-systems approach
• Implementing it
3. Why mental wealth?
We believe that mental health is not black and white, and that
we’re all in the same boat.
The World Health Organisation defines mental health as “a
state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her
own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can
work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or
her community. In this positive sense, mental health is the
foundation for individual well-being and the effective
functioning of a community.”
In common usage, the term mental health has become
synonymous with mental illness. This is one reason why we
talk about mental wealth. Because the way we communicate
matters.
4. Why mental wealth?
We know that possessions and money only
Promote wellbeing to a degree.
(Easterlin Paradox, Hedonic Treadmill etc..)
What is wellbeing anyway?
Psychologists Ryff & Keyes (1995) define wellbeing as an active state of flourishing
consisting of six dimensions:
Autonomy, Positive Relationships With Others, Personal Growth, Purpose In Life, Self-
Acceptance, and Environmental Mastery.
The relationship between inner and outer – the way a person relates to, and interacts
with, their environment and other people - matters.
‘Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” –
Mahatma Gandhi.
5.
6. Cultivating wellbeing
"Just as a tulip instinctively moves towards becoming as complete and
perfect a tulip as possible, so the human being moves towards growth
and fulfillment and the accomplishment of the highest level of human
being-ness.
The only constraints placed upon the actualising tendency arise from
the environment in which the person finds himself or herself.
Just as the tulip is unlikely to flourish in poor soil and without proper
care and watering, so too the growth of the human being will be
stunted if the conditions of the encouragement of the actualising
tendency are unfavourable”
– Brian Thorne
7. So what do we do?
1) instill the inner resilience and resourceful that enables
individuals to respond better to their environment, and 2)
work towards a better environment.
‘We believe that everyone has the capacity to promote
the wellbeing of themselves and those around them.’
Three Ways:
• Self-responsibility (individual differences)
• Peer-to-peer (social influencers)
• Leadership (butterfly effect)
8. Overcoming Blinkered Thinking
On an organisational level…
Old view: a top-down attitude to education & health
promotion.
BUT… Peer to peer matters; Recognising that we all
influence each year.
Old view: We should focus on what we’re doing only.
BUT… This leads to fragmentation. It’s all interconnected.
Collaborate.
9. Making it happen
Second Person
• Self-Responsibility • Leadership
(Appreciating Appreciating the
individual differences) • Peer-to-Peer ‘butterfly effect’)
(Appreciating
influence over peers)
First Person Third Person
10. Value-driven Way
Managing Influencing
Ourselves Others
(Personal (Peer
Wellbeing) Wellbeing)
Supportive Leading By
Communities Example
(Community (Wellbeing
Wellbeing) Advocate)
Improving
Communities
(Wellbeing
Initiatives)
13. Whole-Systems Approach
School University Work
Integrated systems
Resilient people
School University Work
14. Implementing it…
Breaking down barriers. Building bridges.
Connecting With The Resources To Thrive.
1. Identify Needs/Problems
2. Look At What’s Out There
Now.
3. Bring together
stakeholders.
4. Define shared needs
