NGOs addressing issues, social stigmas and other problems associated with mental illness within their communities can participate in the “Rethinking Mental Health: Improving Community Wellbeing Competition” launched by Ashoka’s Changemakers in collaboration with the Vulnerable Population Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. NGOs from any country can be part of the competition. The competition seeks solutions and ideas on addressing mental health issues and problems. The proposed solutions and ideas should have already been implemented by organizations and they should be in a position to demonstrate some success while applying in this competition. The assessment will be carried out by judges who will look at the innovation offered by the proposed solution/idea in the field of mental health, the social impact of replicating it in context of global relevance and sustainability in terms of securing financial backing and community support over the long term.
The competition will choose three finalists and each of them will be awarded with a cash prize of US $5,000. In addition to this, the winners will also get extensive media exposure and publicity that can potentially lead to new collaborations with the global community.
Applicants can make online submissions, which will be initially reviewed by a panel of judges. The panel will select the best entries and they will be listed on Changemakers’ website for voting. The top three entries will finally be awarded with the prize. The last date to submit entries is 14 October 2009. For more information, visit this link.
