- Novartis in Slovenia has partnered with UNICEF Slovenia to participate in the "How Do You Feel?" campaign, which addresses the mental health of children and adolescents through a variety of activities.
- Combining physical and mental wellbeing, mental health is a key part of Novartis' commitment to the overall wellbeing of its associates. The company promotes this through activities that raise awareness, as well as by providing real support when individuals are in need.
Ljubljana, June 11, 2024 – Novartis in Slovenia and UNICEF Slovenia have entered into a partnership to raise awareness about mental health in children and adolescents through the "How Do You Feel?" project. A range of activities will be carried out to help raise awareness and normalize talking about mental health. The collaboration supports Novartis' existing initiatives to improve the mental health of its associates and extends them to the most vulnerable group– children and adolescents.
Mental health remains a taboo subject in Slovenia, even among young people, despite being a key element of wellbeing. Through this new collaboration, UNICEF Slovenia, Novartis in Slovenia, and other partners aim to move toward a normalized conversation about mental health that creates lasting change for all generations. The main part of the campaign, which will address the needs of children and adolescents, will start this fall when the initiative will be extended to kindergartens in addition to primary schools to raise awareness of mental health from an early age. The activities will also reach out to adults and remind them to identify and respond to mental distress in children and adolescents in a timely manner. We will be invited to take the first step toward the necessary changes in society by asking: "How do you feel?"
"Too many children and young people in our society find themselves in distress and many of them try to solve their problems on their own instead of turning to someone they can trust," says Maja Planinc, project manager of the How Do You Feel campaign at UNICEF Slovenia, adding, "We often get stuck when talking about our feelings." The three-year project aims to normalize conversations about mental health, build psychological resilience in children and adults, and reinforce a holistic approach to timely treatment for children through systemic integration of preventive and curative services. To date, more than 1,000 educators, nearly 8,000 children and young people, and 14,000 parents have been made aware of the importance of mental health. "We will expand the project during the next school year," Planinc said. "We are delighted to be joined by Novartis in Slovenia, which has supported our advocacy activities in Slovenia for many years."
The "How Do You Feel?" project, building on Novartis' focus on mental health
Mental health is a key part of Novartis' strategy for the wellbeing of its associates. It is ensured by reducing associates' exposure to negative influences, prioritizing their mental health, and through the Novartis Wellbeing initiative. The latter offers associates a range of activities and tools for maintaining and improving their psycho-physical balance. These activities will be complemented by workshops for associates to raise awareness of children's mental health as part of a new collaboration with UNICEF Slovenia. "Mental health is important at all stages of life. It's been shown that problems can start at an early age and can be carried through into adulthood. If left unaddressed, it can often develop into a mental disorder that requires professional help. By participating in the 'How Do You Feel?' campaign, we want to encourage children, their parents and teachers to speak up and show that it's normal to talk about mental health. This should be the case not only for children, but for adults as well," emphasized Petra Štefanič Anderluh, General Manager at Novartis d.o.o.