This year would have been our third Stigma-Free Walk and Talk a Thon at Ramsey. While I’m disappointed to have to cancel that event, I know that we can still focus our efforts in May, which is Mental Health Month, to proudly make Ramsey a Stigma-Free Zone. It’s so important that I’m moving my usual Sunday update to today.
Our time at home may present the opportunity for a new participation in our Stigma-Free Campaign. For some, our efforts to raise awareness about mental health and crush the stigma surrounding it may come at just the right time. The uncertainty and anxiety many of us are feeling right now may compound the effects of existing mental illness, or put noticeable pressure on our mental health for the first time.
Regardless if you are struggling or not, your participation in our Stigma-Free Campaign is a strong signal that you are an ally to others. Your participation this month will help us grow our movement to create a culture in Ramsey where people feel supported to openly discuss mental illness and to seek treatment without fear.
In this time of social distancing, many of us can benefit from connecting with and finding support within our Ramsey community. It’s an ideal time for us to forge ahead with conversations that will benefit us all.
Here’s what you can do throughout this month to help make Ramsey a Stigma-Free Zone:
- Visit our Stigma-Free website to download an image that you can temporarily use for your social media profile picture to signal that you support a Stigma-Free Zone.
- Also on our Stigma-Free website, download a Stigma-Free sign to post in your home’s front-facing window or door.
- Starting today, and continuing every Sunday through May, “chalk your walk” to show your support for making Ramsey Stigma Free. We’d love to see supportive messages and positive artwork throughout town! Please send me photos so I can share them!
- Join West Bergen’s Michael Tozzoli and me at 8pm Tuesday, May 12 for a live streamed conversation about how we manage our own mental health during the COVID-19 disruption.
- Share all of your efforts to raise awareness of mental illness and create a Stigma-Free Zone on social media using the hashtags #RamseyCares and #RamseyStigmaFree.
- Start Idea No. 5 by taking a photo with your window sign, and sharing it on social media with a post that includes “Why I care.”
Whether you are participating in one or all of these activities, you will contribute to the growing movement we have started in Ramsey. I’ve personally invested much of my own time into this movement because I believe Ramsey can lead the way toward a much-needed solution. Success with this campaign can mean lives saved, healthier and happier students and families, and an even closer community that can tackle just about anything that comes our way.
I can’t wait to walk around admiring sidewalk art and seeing who taped signs in their windows. Let’s lead by example to make Ramsey a Stigma-Free Zone!
Matthew J. Murphy, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Ramsey Public Schools
PS – If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, a good starting-point resource is West Bergen’s Access Center: (201)-485-7172. Or, during a mental health emergency, Bergen County residents can call 201-262-HELP (4357).
