- Novartis in Slovenia backs UNICEF Slovenia's campaign Hardships from Lockers (Stiske iz omaric), which encourages conversations around mental distress in children and adolescents.
- The World Mental Health Day campaign is part of the long-term project "How do you feel?", in which UNICEF Slovenia addresses the mental health of children and adolescents through a variety of activities.
- Mental health is a key part of Novartis' commitment to employee wellbeing, realized through a range of supporting tools and activities. Mental health in the workplace is also the focus of this year's World Mental Health Day.
Ljubljana, October 9, 2024 – On World Mental Health Day, UNICEF Slovenia, with the support of Novartis in Slovenia, launched a campaign Hardships from Lockers highlighting the rise in mental distress among children and adolescents, which often remains hidden. The campaign is part of the long-term "How do you feel?" project, in which UNICEF carries out a number of activities aimed at raising awareness and normalizing the conversation around mental health. With its support of the UNICEF campaign, Novartis in Slovenia is building on its long-standing commitment to employee wellbeing, highlighting the importance of mental health care regardless of age.
According to UNICEF Slovenia, one in four adolescents in Slovenia is experiencing mental distress; most of them do not talk to adults about their hardships. The Hardships from Lockers campaign raises awareness about the importance of children's and adolescents' mental health and encourages adults to talk to them through an exhibition of 90 school lockers with anonymous children's stories placed in Ljubljana's Trg republike square. The hardships, hidden in the lockers, are accounts of children, adolescents, school counselors, psychologists and therapists, collected by UNICEF Slovenia. The campaign is also creatively backed by the world-renowned Slovenian artist Evgen Čopi Gorišek.
UNICEF collaboration strengthens Novartis’ efforts in employee wellbeing
Novartis prioritizes mental health as a central component of its employee wellbeing strategy. By supporting UNICEF Slovenia’s campaign, Novartis is reinforcing efforts to raise awareness about the critical importance of mental health, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents. "Mental health care, which is important in all stages of life, is a value we share with UNICEF Slovenia. Through this collaboration, we wish to highlight the importance of open and destigmatized conversation about all kinds of distress. Let World Mental Health Day remind us to address the potential challenges that we or our loved ones may face," said Petra Štefanič Anderluh, General Manager of Novartis LLC. As part of the campaign and in collaboration with UNICEF Slovenia, Novartis will hold a workshop for employees focused on raising awareness about the mental health of children and adolescents.
Novartis' Wellbeing initiative for employee mental and physical strength
Mental health in the workplace is the central theme and driver of this year's World Mental Health Day. According to the Slovenian National Institute of Public Health, the choice of the theme reflects a global awareness of the importance and relevance of mental health at work. Mental health in the workplace is addressed at Novartis through the internal Wellbeing initiative, which provides employees with a range of activities and tools to maintain and improve their psycho-physical balance. By combining mental and physical health, it represents a holistic approach to wellbeing both in and outside of the workplace. The initiative offers employees regular mindfulness workshops, free psychological support and many other activities and events. In October, a month dedicated to mental health and wellbeing, Novartis is preparing additional trainings and events at the global and local level.