Are you a team of Mad Hatters too? 

 

Thank you for wanting to support Changing Minds, and the important work our team are doing every day to lead social change on behalf of Tāngata Mātau ā-wheako – people with personal experience of mental health and/or addiction challenges, right across Aotearoa. 

 

We’ve run our popular Mad Hatter Tea Parties many times over the years, and we often have organisations, groups, clubs, schools, and individuals asking us how they can support our mahi at Changing Minds.  

 

So, we’ve created a super simple concept for you – we’ve put together all our best ideas from our past events together, so you can host your own!  

A Mad Hatters and Alice in Wonderland themed tea party.

Why Mad Hatters?  

 

We all wear many different hats in our lives.  Grandparent, parent or sibling, to colleague, friend or teacher. Sometimes wearing so many hats can become a little overwhelming and make us feel like we are going ‘mad’.  

 

It also reminds us that those experiencing challenges to their wellbeing are just responding to overwhelming factors and that experiencing distress is not ‘mad’ at all, but to be expected in challenging times. 

 

Our tea parties celebrate just how many hats we wear and how great a job we do by wearing so many of them at once.  

 

Because let’s be honest – we are living in unusual times. A lot of us are experiencing increased distress due to the impacts of a global pandemic, and these uncomfortable feelings can seem really overwhelming and lonely at times.

 

The Mad Hatters Tea Party is a fun, engaging way to show your support and solidarity – and help us to continue the work we’re doing to break down prejudice, discrimination and self-stigma around mental health, one conversation (or tea party!) at a time. 

 

Host a party to:

  • Show your support for those of us who are facing or have faced mental health and addiction challenges.

  • Break down some of the myths about mental health in a light-hearted way by talking about it and finding out just how similar we all are.

  • Help us continue our work by donating the money you raise to Changing Minds.

Make people happy, eat cake and have a laugh – it's the perfect recipe!

 

Create your own Mad Hatters Tea Party!

 

It’s not always easy for us to get together in person. So, we have created resources that you can easily use for an in-person event, or for a fun event you can hold online instead.

 

Simply download our Mad Hatters Tea Party Guide  [link] to get an event concept ready to go. In it you’ll find ideas for costumes & hats, food & drinks, decorations and games, conversation starters and more. 

 

You’ll also find a QR Code and link to our Give-a-little page so you can donate the proceeds of your Mad Hatters Tea Party in one quick click. If you like you can register your individual supporter page and share the URL (https://givealittle.co.nz/org/changingminds) on your Facebook Page and any groups you are in on Facebook. We’ll also include a free poster you can put up around your common areas that share our recommended services if anyone is in distress or needs to talk to someone they can trust.

 

 You are very welcome to get in touch with our team if you have any questions! You can contact us at: events@changingminds.org.nz  

 

How Will We Use Your Donation? 

 

Changing Minds is a ‘’lean’ organisation, which means not only are we not-for-profit, but we make every single dollar count. Some of the work we do includes:

  • Participating in over 40 strategic groups with the purpose of transforming the mental health system to make services more accessible and empathetic;

  • Growing and supporting new leaders from those who have recovered from mental health and addiction distress themselves;

  • Designing and delivering new and innovative services in response to immediate needs from our communities;

  • Providing inspiring speakers and training;

  • Producing relatable content on the forefront of technology and nurture;

  • Amplifying the voices of thousands of people who use mental health, addiction and disability services in submissions to the government that change laws.

  • Use new technologies and "edutainment" to help people understand and empathise with experiences of distress or addiction;

  • Creating wellbeing resources for those with Lived Experience and their whanau to empower themselves.

 

Your donations make all these things possible, but if you love a particular piece of work that we do, let us know and we can tag your donations to boost that project.