The Green Ribbon Campaign
Our Embracing Mental Health in the Workplace in Asia research highlights that the subject of mental health has long been surrounded by a culture of silence in Asia. Until recently few companies have tackled this sensitive topic head-on. However, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic being felt by us all, it is clear that the mental health of employees is more important than ever and companies have a responsibility to provide support.
To help raise awareness about mental health in the workplace and to create a visible movement of support, we encourage companies to consider running a Green Ribbon Campaign inside their organisations. You may choose to do this during Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May 2021) or 2021 Asia Employee Wellbeing Week from (4 – 8 October 2021) in the run-up to World Mental Health Day on Sunday 10 October 2021.
Why Green Ribbons?
The Green Ribbons, physical and digital:
- Create a visible movement of support for ending the stigma
- Show those struggling that there is support and that they are not alone
- Demonstrate the level of support for wellbeing within your workplace
- Encourage people to share their story to create inclusive workplace cultures
Green Ribbon Goes Virtual
In light of the social distancing measures currently in place, the Green Ribbon campaign is focusing on creating a virtual movement of support. Rather than turning workplaces green and handing out physical green ribbons, we are joining with our partner, The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, to spread the Green Ribbon message online. We are encouraging employers to use this time to engage employees on this important issue and have developed a range of digital resources to make it as easy as possible for you to do so.
Join us as we share the digital Green Ribbon far and wide, and #endthestigma.
What You Can Do
WEAR A GREEN RIBBON
- Wear a physical Green Ribbon
Green Ribbons are back! For colleagues that will have returned to the office, Green Ribbons and Green Ribbon pin badges are available to order from the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Get your Green Ribbons here and wear it with pride.
- Wear a Green Ribbon on your profile picture
Use our Profile Picture Frame to add the Green Ribbon to your social media profile picture.
- Wear a Green Ribbon in Nature
Celebrate this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme which is ‘Nature’, by doing an outdoor activity. Wear your green ribbon and share your photo.
- Change your cover photo
Update your social media cover photo to demonstrate your support to The Green Ribbon campaign visibly and get your contacts and followers talking. Download your LinkedIn and Twitter Green Ribbon cover photos below (see Key Resources).
- Special signature
Show your support online with the Green Ribbon email signature by adding the Green Ribbon email signature to your emails to #endthestigma in every mailing in the run-up to World Mental Health Day.
GIVE A GREEN RIBBON
- Give a Green Ribbon
Connect with others using the Give a Green Ribbon image and messaging. Share this image with five of your colleagues, or people in your network to let them know you’re thinking about them. This can be someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time, or someone you speak to all the time but miss! Don’t forget to use #endthestigma so that we can see how many Green Ribbons are worn across the region and globally!
- Create a film of your organisation passing a Green Ribbon through your global offices
For Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, Acuris created a video virtually passing their origami Green Ribbons around their offices globally. You can watch it here: https://acuris.wistia.com/medias/sotwssm8mn
For Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, we encourage your organisation to do the same. First, use this Origami Green Ribbon template to create a Green Ribbon. Then ask your team to film a short clip on a laptop webcam or phone camera, of themselves receiving the Green Ribbon on one side of the screen, and passing it to the other. Next, stitch them all together and you’ll have a video giving the Green Ribbon to #endthestigma for everyone, everywhere!
Don’t forget to upload it to LinkedIn or Twitter and tag us @Community Business and @CB_Asia with #endthestigma.
Key Resources
In partnership with The Lord Mayor’s Appeal in the UK, we have developed a number of free resources to support companies promoting The Green Ribbon Campaign in Asia. Please download the individual assets below and apply them to your social media channels during Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May 2021) and Asia Employee Wellbeing Week (4 - 8 October 2021) in order to #EndTheStigma against mental health.