Isle Listen and Z Zurich Foundation announce unprecedented funding collaboration
October 22, 2020
Isle Listen is thrilled to announce an unprecedented 3-year funding collaboration with the Z Zurich Foundation and Zurich International in a joint drive to provide mental wellbeing education, prevention and transformative early intervention on the Isle of Man.
The Z Zurich Foundation (the Foundation) is a charitable foundation funded by various members of the Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich). They aim to create transformative change in the lives of more than 1 million vulnerable people and positively impact the lives of 10 million others by the year 20241.
The grant is in recognition of the Foundation and Isle Listen’s shared vision to promote positive mental health for the whole Island, help remove the stigma surrounding mental health and improve access to psychological support services.
The funding will enable the Isle Listen team to reach out to the entire school and college population of the Isle of Man over the next three years – approximately 15,000 students and over 1,000 people working within the education sector – as well as supporting employers and delivering community-wide campaigns and resources.
It will also facilitate the expansion of its one-to-one listening service within schools, provision of a mobile art therapy vehicle to provide outreach therapeutic services to those who might not be able to access them and expand the service further to support potential waiting lists in statutory services.
Zurich has a long association with promoting good mental health, most recently launching an online Wellbeing Toolkit2 to provide support to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic. Locally, Zurich International was already working with Isle Listen to offer mental health awareness sessions.
Andrea Chambers, Isle Listen Chief Executive said, “We can’t thank the Z Zurich Foundation enough for their support and confidence in us to help put the key building blocks in place for our future plans and operation.”
“While there is a growing awareness of the importance of positive mental health and wellbeing on the Island, there are still many issues in identifying those who require support and, even when this is recognised, there can be long waiting lists for therapy and treatment.
“By providing education, prevention and early intervention we aim to alleviate pressure on the statutory health services and to avoid the unnecessary escalation of mental health problems which can make recovery more difficult the longer they are undiagnosed. The Foundation’s support means that we can accelerate our programmes and make a difference much more quickly.”
Gary Shaughnessy, Chair of the Z Zurich Foundation said, “With Isle Listen, we aim to change behaviours and attitudes around mental wellbeing. Together, we want this programme to drive positive mental health across schools, workplaces and community groups, and give young people the tools and motivation to take care of themselves.”
Nigel Simpson, Head of International Markets at Zurich International in the Isle of Man said, “As an organisation and employer, we understand that wellbeing and mental health is just as important as physical health. We look forward to helping Isle Listen accomplish their ambitious aims of equipping young people with the self-management skills to navigate the psychological challenges of 21st century life. We firmly believe that Isle Listen has the potential to create a unique and innovative blueprint for mental health therapeutic services that will benefit other small islands or communities.”
Since the start of this school year in September, Isle Listen has already delivered 26 student educational sessions in schools with another 26 booked and workplace training to more than 400 teachers and employees via webinars or classroom-based learning.
Further information:
- Z Zurich Foundation: www.zurich.foundation/en
- Zurich Wellbeing: www.zurichinternational.com/im/employee-well-being/
Pictured Left to Right – Annabel Chambers, Isle Listen Project Lead, Ruth Adamson, Learning & Talent Development Consultant, Zurich International, Nigel Simpson, Head of International Markets at Zurich International, Andrea Chambers, Chief Executive, Isle Listen.
Isle Listen
Isle Listen is a trading name of MCH Psychological Services and is a charitable initiative that operates under the clinical guidance of MCH Psychological Services, an Isle of Man registered charity with over 35 years’ experience of providing emotional and psychological support to people and their families living with cancer and other life-changing conditions.
MCH Psychological Services is an Isle of Man registered charity number 1024.
MCH Psychological Services was formerly known as The Lisa Lowe Centre and Manx Cancer Help.
Recent research in the UK has shown a need for urgent action among the younger generation with one in eight 5-19 year olds displaying a mental health problem. It is estimated that 50% of all adult mental health problems have already developed by the age of 14, and 75% by the age of 24. Source: UK Mental Health Foundation, 2018
Z Zurich Foundation
Z Zurich Foundation (the Foundation) is a charitable foundation with registered office in Zurich established by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd and Zurich Life Insurance Company Ltd in accordance with Swiss law.
It is the main vehicle by which the Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) delivers on its global community investment strategy.
The Z Zurich Foundation aims to support a fairer, more open and sustainable society by empowering vulnerable people within its communities to better protect themselves from risk, and to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
It focuses its efforts on three powerful and relevant topics of today’s societal challenges: adapting to climate change, improving mental well-being and enabling social equity, by funding grant programs in collaboration with Zurich’s business units and charities worldwide and by developing Zurich employee engagement initiatives. As of today, the Foundation supports about 30 local grant programs worldwide.
The Z Zurich Foundation also funds the ‘Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance,’ a multi-sector cooperation, which focuses on finding practical ways to help communities in developed and developing countries strengthen their resilience to flood risk.
Zurich International
Zurich International Life is a part of Zurich Insurance Group and fully authorised under the Isle of Man Insurance Act 2008 and is regulated by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority, which ensures the company has sound and professional management and provision has been made to protect plan holders.
Zurich International Pensions Administration Limited is registered with the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority as a Professional Schemes Administrator under the Isle of Man Retirement Benefits Schemes Act 2000. Registered in the Isle of Man number 132210C.