London (UK) / Dublin (IE), April 2013 - Prejudice against those experiencing mental-health problems is rife. In one study, 58 per cent of the respondents felt unfairly treated by mental- health staff. Yet one in four people will experience significant mental distress at some point in their lives. Now Saffron Interactive is helping Amnesty International Ireland produce a remarkable eLearning course to change things for the better.
In order to drive new ways of thinking, the course will be made available for free to mental- health professionals across the Republic of Ireland. Amnesty International Ireland has been campaigning for some years for those experiencing mental-health problems to enjoy the same human rights as others, and this project is a key part of the programme of work.
In 2011, the Irish Government committed to bring legislation into line with the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. "We received several excellent bids for this project, but Saffron’s energy, creativity, and passion shone through," says Pippa Woolnough, who is leading the project for Amnesty International.
"We knew that any course that felt like ‘just another piece of eLearning’ would fail to achieve our objectives. Saffron responded to the challenge with a fresh, exciting design and a thoughtful approach that demonstrated understanding of this difficult area."
"This kind of project is why I get up on these unseasonably cold mornings," says Toby Harris, creative lead at Saffron, "Saffron has an opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives – just as we did in our course on mental resilience for Transport for London."
