Public relations professionals are needed to spread awareness in the community. When launching an initiative, the community has to be on board to make the mission successful.
Information for other departments:
Public Relations Professionals in the Coalition
What role they play:
The public relations professional activates the community to engage with the mental health initiative. By opening these conversations in the community, we can start a strong foundation for removing the stigma around mental health.
Why they are integral to the Coalition’s success:
This role is integral to bridge the gap between the coalition members, new mental health initiatives and the community.
The impact they’ve had:
The impact we’ve seen in Fishers has been nothing short of overwhelming. The community took this initiative and made it their own, especially in our schools and among our young community members.
“The mental health initiative is really a rallying effort within Fishers to come alongside those who might be suffering and inspire them to have hope and connect them to resources that can get them there.”
ASHLEY ELROD | CITY OF FISHERS PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Our Public Relations Program
Your Specialized Toolkit
Download the public relations role toolkit to access the processes and programs we put in place in Fishers to spread awareness and engage the community.
Included in your toolkit:
- 2017 Stigma Free Fishers Week Program Outline
- Mental Wellness Action Steps Handout
- Mental Health Initiative Communications Tactics and Timeline
- ‘Movember’ Campaign Toolkit
- Stigma Free Campaign Press Release
- Stigma Free ‘Movember’ Information Packet
- Stigma Free Pledge Template
Quick Tips
From Ashley Elrod
Be Empathetic
When we speak to the media or when speaking to a large crowd about what our coalition is doing we come from a place of empathy because we know there are folks in the crowd who could be triggered by what we’re talking about.
Realize Your Resources
One of the things people often ask me about our outreach efforts is time and resources dedicated to it. The City of Fishers has really bootstrapped this entire initiative. What I would say to another PR professional in another community looking to launch this outreach campaign is that it really takes little to no resources. It's about connecting to your community and rallying them.
Rely on Mental Health Professionals
We always make sure there are mental health providers on site. Because we are talking about really difficult things related to mental illness there's a safe place for attendees to go where they will be directly connected to a service provider on site to work through that.
Ready to Start Your Own Coalition?
Use Our Resources to Get Started
The processes developed here in Fishers can apply to many different organizations and communities. We don't want to keep these resources in Fishers, we want to share them because it's the right thing to do and we all want to see a suicide-free country.
See The Entire Initiative Report