Moving People is a groundbreaking and diverse programme of national and local activity, led by four mental health organisations - Mental Health Media, Mind, Rethink, and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.

Moving People has been modelled on similar programmes that have worked elsewhere in the world, and is part of an international movement sharing evidence and best practice. Moving People is based on two years of consultation with people who experience mental health problems. People with direct experience of mental distress will be at the heart of this programme and participate at all levels.

What we will do
We will reduce stigma and discrimination linked to mental ill health, and improve the physical and mental wellbeing of people who have experienced mental health problems, and those who have not.

Why now
Discrimination remains a massive issue in mental health. There is a huge evidence base on the impact of discrimination and exclusion. We also know that people with mental health problems tend to have poorer physical health, and as a result, people with the most severe mental health problems die an average of ten years younger.
But there is a climate for change. The Government has recognised the impact of stigma, and that public attitudes are not shifting. Moving People is ready to take on the challenge.

What Moving People will achieve
We aim to create a measurable shift in public attitudes, and a genuine reduction in discrimination. We will also improve the physical wellbeing of tens of thousands of people with mental health problems. Along the way, all our work will be evaluated by the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, experts in stigma, to prove that Moving People is having an impact and to add to the global evidence base for anti-stigma work.

How will we do it
National campaign and projects + community activity + evaluation

The Moving People 'portfolio' comprises 35 projects - six national, 28 local, and evaluation.

Community projects
28 community projects throughout England will be funded through Moving People, supporting an estimated 24,500 people to develop healthier lifestyles. The projects will involve people with mental health problems in a wide variety of physical activities, improving mental and physical wellbeing, and breaking down the barriers of stigma.
Find out more about the community projects

National projects

Anti-stigma campaign - a national campaign using advertising, PR, and other marketing techniques to change public attitudes. This will follow similar campaigns in New Zealand and Scotland, as well as taking on learning from pilot projects in Norwich and Northern Ireland.

Get Moving!
Get Moving! will be a week each year where a national focus will be put on mental health and the benefits of physical activity. Get Moving! is designed to reach out beyond the world of mental health and capture the attention and imagination of hundreds of thousands of people through links with, for example, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Ramblers Association and the National Trust. In this way, we will bring people with direct experience of mental health problems together with those without these experiences to build awareness, challenge attitudes and create new understandings.

Open Up
Moving People will empower people with mental health problems to tackle discrimination directly, through Mental Health Media's groundbreaking Open Up project. Open Up brings people with mental health problems together to lead effective action on discrimination in their communities. The project takes individuals and groups from isolation and exclusion to awareness, confidence and effective activism.

For more information visit: www.openuptoolkit.net.

Legal Mind
Research shows that in order to challenge the powerful beliefs held by the general public we must combine our programme of local community initiatives, awareness raising and targeted training with a legal enforcement of people's rights. Legal Mind will actively seek out test cases, and pursue them in the courts using Mind's in-house team of lawyers. We will also produce materials explaining legal rights in the area of discrimination, including details of how individuals can make the most of their rights.

Website
The Moving People website will be at the heart of this project. It will be the conduit that turns awareness and interest in Moving People into local community action, as well as backing up all our campaign messages. People will be able to download a wide range of campaign materials from the site, as well as finding out about and contacting local projects.

Targeted Audience Element
In addition to targeting employers we will also reach others who have a significant impact on the daily lives of people with mental health problems. Moving People will provide anti-stigma training for thousands of student medics and trainee teachers. Rethink developed ASTEC, (Anti-Stigma Training and Evaluation Collaboration), an evidence-based training programme, with the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. The targeted audience element, based on the work done with ASTEC, produces significant improvements in knowledge about stigma and discrimination on the grounds of mental illness, and in attitudes and behaviour towards people with mental health problems.

More about the Targeted Audience Element

Evaluation
The expertise of the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London in measuring the impact of stigma will be crucial to evaluating the success of Moving People. We will be using high-quality research methodology to accurately measure public attitudes to mental distress, this will demonstrate the impact of the campaign, and also to add to the global evidence base for anti-stigma work.