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The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) program Beyond the Label (BTL) debuted a BTL concept train with the slogan “Go Beyond.” The goal of the BTL idea train is to “Go Beyond” the stigma and better support and involve people with mental health disorders in schools, businesses, and the community at large following the release of BTL 2.0 and the establishment of the BTL Collective lead by TOUCH Community Services.
Earlier this week, at the Bishan MRT station, Guest of Honor Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Culture, Community, and Youth, as well as Trade and Industry, unveiled the BTL concept train. Aiming to serve 504,000 commuters using the 27-station North South Line between Jurong East and Marina South Pier throughout its 19-hour daily schedule of operation for four weeks.
Launch of Concept Train brings the message of ‘Go Beyond’ closer to the Community
This program is a part of ongoing efforts on a national level to promote help-seeking behaviour and dialogues about mental health. The concept train will include BTL’s ‘BRAVE’ graphic emblem, which represents the experiences of people with mental health disorders, their road to recovery, and peer support at home, in the classroom, and at work.
The general public can also find out how to communicate with and assist those who are dealing with mental health issues, as well as how to get in touch with local mental health services when necessary.
In order to empower communities through Mental Health-Friendly Neighbourhoods, TOUCH has collaborated with like-minded partners and governmental organizations in support of BTL. Residents of these neighborhoods will receive training in recognizing warning signals so that those who need assistance early can receive it. Additionally, there will be a Pebble Walk with supportive messages for people with mental health issues and signposts with information on mental health resources and services.
Following the completion of the first Pebble Walk installation in Queenstown, two further Pebble Walk installations—at Tiong Bahru and Moulmein-Cairnhill—as well as mobile displays in local schools and neighbourhoods will be unveiled in the last quarter of 2022. Social service organisations including CARE Singapore, Samaritans of Singapore, and AMKFSC Community Services are combining their efforts to teach people in first aid, peer support, and mental health befriending.
Mr James Tan, Chief Executive Officer, TOUCH Community Services, said “Many of the community initiatives represent the journey of support for persons with mental health conditions and their caregivers. We want to equip more in the community to promote help seeking, guide people on healthy coping strategies and strengthen peer support. All of us have a role to play in building a more caring community.”
The SG Mental Well-Being Network (Network), a national platform that brings partners and citizens together to take action to strengthen mental health and well-being outcomes for our society, as well as the Well Being Circles under the Network, are complemented by these Mental Health-Friendly Neighbourhoods.
MOS Alvin Tan said, “It will take time to destigmatise mental health issues and empower our people to look after themselves and others. Together, we can help move this along a little faster. BTL and our SG Mental Well-Being Network are important efforts that bring partners together to support this cause. The SG Mental Well-Being Network has piloted four Well-Being Circles in the community since we launched it in July 2022. We look forward to working with even more closely with our partners to expand these efforts.”
For updates on BTL movement and activations from the BTL Collective, follow the BTL Facebook and Instagram page (@beyondthelabelsg). For mental health resources and services, visit Belle, the BTL Helpbot (https://go.gov.sg/belle-helpbot).
