Mindarium Magazine for Mental Health Wellbeing

Aim

To launch an independent magazine that focuses on sharing and helping anyone with mental health issues and encouraging self empowerment.

AIM?

We want to fund the printing and sharing of the pilot magazine, which aims to encourage and empower readers, not just of the one in four statistic, but anyone facing challenging times, whether it’s happening to them directly or as carer, family member or observer.

We also want the magazine to help registered mental health charities fundraise through our Vending Partner's Scheme © to help provide more services and facilities to people seeking help with mental health issues. Our target is set at £3,300, which will cover:

• Initial print run cost of 5000 copies
• Launch the marketing campaign during mental health week in October 2017
• Distribution costs
• Employment, professional support services and staffing.

If we are fortunate enough to reach our target, any ‘overfunding’ will go towards setting the magazine up as a registered Community Interest Company (CIC) and all the legal company stuff as required by law. We would love to continue publishing more issues, initially on a quarterly basis and more depending on demand.

WHY?

• We all have mental health; we need to build our resilience and improve wellbeing to prevent problems.
• 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem that will be seen by a GP in the course of a year.
• As many as 1 in 3 people take anti-depressants (in the UK) at some point in their lives.
• To help tackle the stigma and discrimination of mental health illness.
• Extensive research proves that creativity and arts participation improves cognitive ability and significantly enhances mood.
• Share proven practices and alternative therapies such mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, etc. 
• To help improve self-esteem and self-confidence building which is paramount to improving behavioural and emotional disorders.
• Self-expression found through creativity and art is a recognised form of psychological therapy.
• To tackle every day stresses, anxiety, low-self esteem, addictive behaviours, which can all spiral into debilitating mental (and physical) illness if not helped at the initial stages.
• To promote self empowerment and social engagment.

HOW?

Mindarium Magazine © will be an A4 full-colour format with at least 32 pages of quality articles, reader participation and links with professional service providers.

• We are seeking editorial contributions from a number of sources including many reader’s stories and giving people an opportunity to share their stories and help to communicate with other people facing similar challenges.
• To give contributors an outlet to display their creativity, whether it’s a painting, a poem or links to a song, etc.
• We will have credible research and stories from a range of arts and mental health sector sources.
• We will try to engage prolific artists to talk about their experiences with creativity and mental health
• Information and reviews about workshops, shows, events, festivals, literature, music, cinema/theatre, etc.
• We will also have an ethical print policy, to use non-edited photographs and accept only quality advertisers, ie no fast loans/gambling ads that could be harmful to our readers.
• A comprehensive directory and signposting for mental health wellbeing resources and organisations.

WHO?

Mindarium Magazine is a pilot magazine published independently by Maggy Corkhill.

Maggy Corkhill, is a publishing industry-trained graphic designer with over 25 years experience in magazine production and advertising and although highly functioning, has suffered from varying levels of depression and anxiety related illness since she was 16. Throughout her recovery, she has tried many different types of medication, alternative therapies and therapeutic practices and has found creativity to have an expressive and positive effect on her bipolar/bpd condition and is passionate about helping others. 

THE FUTURE?

Once the pilot issue has been published, we aim to invite mental health linked organisations the option of purchasing the magazine at a cost price so that they can sell copies directly to their clients for the cover price. This will offer attractive fundraising opportunities for their cause and, in turn, enable them to offer more support and services to people like us, seeking help.

With this unique vending scheme, subscriptions and advertising, the magazine will be able to achieve self-sufficiency and be able to function on going as an independent social enterprise. Within two years, we aim to increase the distribution area to eventually cover the whole of Wales, and increase the frequency of the magazine from quarterly to bi-monthly.

This will also support local 'mindful' employment and contracting opportunities as the project expands.

Copyright asserted.

This project successfully funded on 2nd October 2017