What Makes Us

Mental health advocacy remains in the front seat of our vehicle, driving towards a world where every person thrives. After hearing from our communities in Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, and Pottawattamie Counties in the 2018 and 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment, it was beyond a whisper, more of a shout, that mental health needed our undivided attention. Deeper still, is addressing the stigma surrounding mental health and recognizing that stigma is one of the top reasons why individuals avoid or abandon treatment. 

The Wellbeing Partners took immediate action in 2021, partnering with Public Good Projects to launch What Makes Us – a contact-based campaign designed to challenge perceptions and change the conversation around mental health. This campaign is a collection of photo and video testimonials from community members living with mental health conditions and their allies, highlighting what makes them who they are — not defined by a mental health condition. These testimonials were distributed across multiple social media platforms and by community partners. We partnered with 127 local organizations and earned 127 testimonials, reaching a 10.3% decrease in stigma to those living with a mental health condition. A grand 85.5% of those who were aware of the What Makes Us campaign had taken steps to improve their mental health and felt equipped to provide support to someone else, scoring nearly 20% higher than those who were unaware of the campaign. 

With this success and momentum, we are proud to announce the official start of year two of the What Makes Us campaign. Community members can share their story at WhatMakesUs.com. Employers who would like to share this campaign within their companies have access to support and resources from those who promoted the campaign within their organizations in our first year. 

Share your story. Hear a story. Every action gets us closer to a community anchored in wellbeing and connection. 

Reach out to us! We’ll be writing and reading the stories that make up the tapestry of our beautiful complexity in the meantime.