Mental Health
At Fandom Forward, we recognize how important it is for activists to prioritize taking care of our mental health. Here’s some of our campaigns:
marvelous mental health fest (2022)
From May 2nd through 8th we had an AMAZING event called Marvelous Mental Health Fest! Throughout the week, we chatted with some inspiring folks about (the good and bad) mental health representations in the MCU, and how we can channel our inner superhero to help ourselves and others through tough times. Our favorite superheroes are more successful when they have a team to help them, just like how we all need our very own Team Avengers to help us through our own Earthly Blips.
You can watch all the spectacular events now on our Youtube and Instagram. Links can be found on this page. Fandom Forward chatting with mental health specialists and Marvel fans… What could be better? Get ready to learn about how to journal as self care, how Marvel could do better with their representations, how to find an inclusive therapist, and so much more.
Click here to download our new toolkit for MMHF, which provides tips for rallying for more mental health resources, what to say to a friend when they are struggling, self care, activities to help you discover what/who is in your superhero tool belt, and more.
Self Care Magic (2018)
In February 2018 we felt like it was time for some reminders to take care of yourself in the midst of trying times and intense activism. Our Self Care Magic campaign brought attention to the importance of avoiding burnout as an activist, and stories like Self Care is How Wizards Win by Cristina Kinsella and Self Care on a Budget by Ashley Mitchell helped give magical people a starting point.
Body Bind Horcrux (2011)
The Body Bind Horcrux campaign took place in January 2011 and was one part of the larger Deathly Hallows Campaign. The Deathly Hallows Campaign was an epic journey to destroy seven real world horcruxes.
In this horcrux, we challenged the Muggle-Minded Media’s narrow image of beauty and fought back through ideas and actions presented in blogs on our site and vlogs on our YouTube Channel. Each week had a different theme, so throughout the month we stressed seeing the beauty in ourselves and others, striving toward health and nutrition, exercising more, and de-stressing.
Dementor Horcrux (2010)
The Dementor Horcrux campaign took place in December 2010 and was one part of the larger Deathly Hallows Campaign. The Deathly Hallows Campaign was an epic journey to destroy seven real world horcruxes.
For the Dementor Horcrux, Fandom Forward partnered with ReachOut.com to fight against the effects of depression. Fandom Forward worked together as a community to create their own patronuses by submitting art, through social media, of how they cope with the Dementors in their lives, including videos, paintings, poetry, pictures, and more. The art was submitted and posted through Fandom Forward’s Tumblr. We received over 120 patronuses in the month of December and continued to receive more after the campaign officially ended.
Breaking Out of the Muggle Mindset (2009)
In December 2009, Fandom Forward launched a series of blog posts about reducing stress and the “muggle mindset”. The Muggle Mindset is the cultural idea that in order to be productive or hardworking, we must live with a high level of stress. Furthermore, if we choose to live at a low-stress level or take the time to relieve stress, we are seen as lazy or careless.
Breaking Out of the Muggle Mindset was a ten-day campaign, with each day focusing on a different topic, such as time management, exercises, study techniques, prevention of stress, relaxation techniques, etc. Fandom Forward Staff Members blogged about each topic and encouraged members to join the discussion and challenge themselves to relieve stress in their own lives. Parts of this campaign can be seen as a precursor to the Positive Fandom campaign.