In Focus: Harmless in the Community
Engaging with the communities we serve is at the heart of our work at Harmless and The Tomorrow Project. We do this is numerous ways, but outreach work is central to this endeavour. Outreach involves team members heading out into different communities to engage with individuals, groups and organisations, to spread awareness of our services and help break down the stigma associated with self harm and suicide.
Throughout the year we attend a multitude of such events right across our region. Often these are tailored towards a specific community, such as the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minorities, men, or gypsy, Roma and traveller communities. Equally, you will also find us at occasions aimed at specific age groups. For example, we often attend university events or events aimed at the older members of our community. While a university event helps us reach out to students who might benefit from our support, it also enables us to speak to graduates who could be looking to start a career in the field of the mental health. We also network with fellow professionals to share knowledge and talk about the life-saving training opportunities Harmless offers.
In 2023 alone, we attended over 500 networking events, school fairs, festivals, sporting events, fundraising initiatives and many more similar occasions within our communities. Examples of the events Harmless and The Tomorrow Project have already attended in 2024 include:
- Nottingham Trent University Spring Careers Fayre 2024
- Rushcliffe Golf Club Race Night
- Nott Alone Event
- Unit Health and Wellbeing Fair
- De Montfort University Mental Health Awareness Day
- Nottinghamshire Talking Therapies Conference
- Ashfield Rugby Club Event
- Health and Wellbeing Roadshow
Our suicide bereavement pathway can also attend events in relation to a suicide cluster. The term ‘suicide cluster’ describes a situation in which more suicides than expected occur in terms of time, place, or both. This outreach work aims to intervene with individuals who have been impacted by a suicide and might be at risk of presenting with their own suicidal ideation. From this we can offer emotional support to individuals within a community setting and, if necessary, encourage them to refer into our services.
A key objective with outreach work is to encourage conversations around self harm and suicide. This is fundamental to breaking the stigma and normalising individuals discussing these topics. For example, attending events for children and young people can help to normalise talking about self harm and suicide from a young age and aid early intervention for those who need support. The domino effect of one individual sharing information they took away from an event can contribute to saving a life.
Outreach work in our communities is at the heart of our mission at Harmless and The Tomorrow Project, and always will be.
If you would like to make an enquiry about our outreach work, please contact us at support@harmless.org.uk or call 0115 8800 280.
