With Mental Health Awareness Month just around the corner, now’s the time to turn awareness into action.
This year, the theme is community — and prioritizing it has never been more important.
Economic and social pressures. Divisive political and religious landscapes. The internet, once a tool for connection, is now leaving people feeling more isolated than ever.
So let’s change that. This May, you can bring people together and remind them that they aren’t alone.
At Eventbrite’s RECONVENE summit, we explored how event organizers like you have a unique opportunity to build relationships and foster belonging. With these 16 transformative Mental Health Awareness Month activities, you can carve a space for attendees to feel seen, heard, and supported.
Community Engagement
Strong communities make for strong individuals. When people feel seen and supported, their well-being improves. Engaging the community gives participants the chance to show up, share, and support one another in ways that go beyond superficial conversations.
The following event ideas are a great starting point.
1. Raise some funds
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻
Cost to set up: 💰
Studies show that acts of generosity contribute to happiness. And when people feel good, they’re more engaged and willing to help.
Find a local mental health organization that provides vital services, such as veteran support and reentry programs for incarcerated individuals. But don’t just set up a simple donation link and call it a day. Rally your community and organize a fundraiser event.
There are plenty of effective activities for your fundraiser, like:
- A fun run/walk
- An auction
- A gala
- A rummage sale
💡Pro tip: Eventbrite lets you create donation tickets, where buyers get to pick the amount they want to pay.
Enhance your ticket pricing strategy.
2. Get social
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
One low-pressure mental health awareness idea is to set up social events like speed dating or hobby-related meet-ups.
These events can be held in person, for sure. But virtual events are equally possible — and they are much more accessible.
Many people struggle with loneliness, but few will admit to experiencing it. Make sure you create a comfortable setting for meeting new people.
Consider running a microsocial event. When we interviewed Vanessa Flowers of Flower Girls Meet, she shared this valuable insight: “More intimate gatherings mean people can be seen, heard, and inspired.”
So if you want to give people a chance to get to know each other better, a smaller guest list is the way to go.
3. Organize a tree planting day
Workplace friendly? 🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻
Cost to set up: 💰💰
Tree planting can make participants feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. Plus, they get to share the experience with others who share their values.
There’s a lot to gain in such a simple act — you give back to the planet, help your community, and boost your mental health all at once.
Before you start, reach out to local authorities and secure the necessary tree planting permits or requirements. You should also coordinate with a local nursery or tree farm for the necessary saplings and supplies.
4. Host a dance party
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
A dance party puts a refreshing spin on the typical Mental Health Awareness Month event. The shared rhythm, movement, and energy can evoke feelings of awe. Research shows that awe stops us from ruminating and makes us feel more immersed in our surroundings.
So why not host dance parties like Ecstatic Dance NYC? The organization promotes self-expression and freedom through music and dance, reaching communities in over 100 cities.
Or you can be like Bob from Bob’s Dance Shop and organize a flash mob dance party. Virtual events like Shake off Stress (SOS) also work here. Participants can join in the fun from the comfort of their own homes.
Whatever you choose, turn up the music and inspire your participants to be their best selves.
5. Bring in the pets
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻
Cost to set up: 💰💰
80% of surveyed owners said they turn to their pets for comfort, so why not let your furry friends tag along to your Mental Health Awareness Month activities? Or better yet, make them an active participant.
Consider:
- Hosting a morning tea for pets, with treats for pets and their owners alike
- Organizing a trip to an animal shelter or rescue facility for volunteer work
- Visiting a petting zoo or farm that allows you to milk the cows
- Arranging physical activities like yoga (Doggy Noses and Yoga Poses combines these events with fundraisers for rescue organizations. The highlight is the 15-minute post-yoga “snuggasana” session with rescue pups!)
Whether cuddling a cat, walking a dog, or milking a cow, our four-legged friends remind us to live in the present moment and never fail to bring a smile to our faces.
Wellness and self-care workshops
“Events as Self-Care” was one of the key trends identified in Eventbrite’s TRNDS 2024 survey, and it doesn't seem to be waning anytime soon.
Workshops on improving mental health benefit individuals and pave the way for more connected communities. Attendees can benefit from mutual support as they work to overcome their own challenges.
The best part? These workshops work well as mental health awareness virtual events. Anyone, regardless of their location, can join in and find like-minded individuals to share their experiences and learnings with.
6. Host a stress-reduction workshop
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
No one likes to deal with chronic stress. But it’s prevalent — 90% of trips to the primary care doctor stem from stress-related complaints.
Stress does a number on one’s psychological health, affecting how we present ourselves and interact with others.
So why not create a space that allows attendees to figure out their common stressors and develop useful stress-relief strategies?
Dr. Ebony Davenport holds in-person “FUNShops” dedicated to playing the stress away. She also launched an online deep breathing community to teach attendees how to combat distress on the spot.
Deep breathing isn’t the only way to de-stress. Choose activities that will help participants feel calmer, centered, and more in control. Here are some ideas you can include in your workshop:
- Physical activity, such as dance, athletics, or exercise
- Organizing items, such as multicolored pins or patterns
- Silent meditation or repeating mantras for extended periods of time
- Laughing
- Yoga sessions
7. Teach a cooking class
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰💰
Culinary event creators: Mental Health Awareness Month is a great time to get your kitchen mitts dirty!
Cooking classes are good for the mind and soul. Why? We talked to Chef Gautam of Did You Khado, who noted that cooking helps us disconnect from technology and stay in the present moment. “Everyone’s so busy with the ingredients, they’re not on their phones,” he explained.
Plus, cooking is an act of care. Participants can demonstrate their newly acquired skills with loved ones after the event.
There are many ways you can tie community and mental health into your workshops. Here are some excellent examples:
- Cook for comfort: Offer classes focusing on cooking nostalgic, comfort foods that friends and family will enjoy.
- Cook for connection: Bring together friends, colleagues, or random attendees to co-create a dish together.
- Cook for community: Have attendees prepare meals to share with neighbors, local shelters, or a community fridge.
💡Pro tip: Harvard Medical School recommends leafy vegetables, fatty fish, berries, walnuts, and even tea and coffee for brain health, so be sure to include these ingredients.
8. Teach meditation and mindfulness
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
No list of Mental Health Awareness Month activities is complete without meditation and mindfulness exercises. These practices are proven stress-reduction techniques, often introduced in spiritual retreats and workshops.
To maximize impact, it's best to make it a standing appointment. Peace Point Meditation in Azusa, California holds multiple regular classes, so meditation becomes a community-building and comforting habit for eventgoers.
While this involves stillness and quiet, mindfulness can be practiced alongside a wide range of activities, including:
- Coloring, either with crayons and a coloring book or with paint and a canvas
- Walking meditation, such as a walk around a park
- Eating, savoring the flavors and textures of your meal
- Gardening, such as growing vegetables or flowers
💡Pro tip: Choose a scenic location for your workshops. Many (65%) of customers yearn for transformative experiences, and meditating in a tranquil environment can provide exactly that. Look at how Peace Point Meditation completes the mood by decorating their outdoor space with candles.
9. Conduct a gratitude workshop
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) considers gratitude a mental health game changer. Expressing gratitude shifts attention from personal hurdles to appreciation for others. People who practiced gratitude reported feeling more positive and experiencing less depression.
How can you share this benefit with attendees? Offer a workshop that explores various ways of building gratitude, such as journaling, meditating, and expressing thanks to those around you. Teach Artist Project (TAP) Alliance, for example, uses art therapy tools.
Include blank journals, fresh pens, and other materials to distribute to attendees to get them started.
10. Lead a DIY arts and crafts session
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰💰
Encourage attendees to put on their creative hats. DIY workshops can help them embrace self-expression and take a break from their anxious thoughts. Plus, the sense of pride that comes with completing a project successfully is pretty hard to beat.
When done in a group setting, these activities deepen connection through sharing ideas and working together.
Make sure to provide all necessary tools and materials, so attendees can dive right in. There’s an option to go hybrid, shipping materials to online participants.
Choose from a wide range of crafts and skills to feature, including:
- Woodworking
- Jewelry making
- Candle making
- Wax carving
- Lino printmaking
- Sewing
- Knitting and needlework
💡Pro tip: Don’t forget to capture the finished products. You can use them as social proof for your next event.
11. Host a yoga session
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
Yoga (and physical exercise in general) does wonders for relieving tension, improving mood, and enhancing mindfulness.
Engage with a yoga teacher to lead your session, which can be held in a gym or studio.
If the weather permits, take the activity outside. 75% of attendees report feeling more positive about events that encourage nature immersion and connection. Parks and beaches are perfect for this.
Goat Yoga Dallas takes things to the next level, bringing goats to locations like TUPPS Brewery and West Irving Convention Center. Such a fun way to connect with nature!
To add a community-building element to your sessions, include partner poses and group breathing exercises.
💡Pro tip: Organize a "try-out" session for newcomers during Mental Health Awareness Month to encourage them to try yoga. Then keep the momentum going by promoting ongoing sessions to help them maintain physical and mental health throughout the year. Here are a few more unique yoga workshop ideas to keep things fresh and fun for them.
Building mental health awareness and knowledge
Mental health conversations have never been louder. But the noise doesn’t mean everyone fully understands the message.
Almost everyone knows someone who’s struggled with anxiety or depression. Many of them suspect something’s up, but don’t have the tools and information to work their way through it.
Here’s a list of mental health awareness ideas that can make mental health knowledge as accessible as chatting with a friend.
12. Host a breakfast or morning tea
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻
Cost to set up: 💰💰
Encourage participants to start the day right and enjoy a light meal with others who share the same interests.
You don’t have to host the event alone. Invite a psychologist or mental health professional to lead a discussion over bagels and hot drinks. They can provide tips and techniques for handling stress, frustration, and more.
Tackling different psychological triggers will take time, so don’t stop at one session. Make it a weekly or monthly series, covering different topics each time. Include discussion prompts, gratitude exercises, or short mindfulness activities to make every event interactive.
💡Pro tip: Find a good café or brunch spot for your event. Successful food and drink events require reliable partners.
13. Host a mental health seminar
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
One of the best ways to prevent stigma is to spread knowledge, and seminars do just that. They present an opportunity for people to learn, ask questions, and discover strategies to improve their well-being.
For example, Seven Counties Services specializes in mental health treatment and community support. Speakers at their events cover diverse topics like Sensory Integration and Regulation in Young Children and Motivational Interviewing: Basic Skills That Will Change Your Life.
If you want to host a seminar, reach out to workplaces or schools. Many are open to hosting mental health events for their employees or students.
💡Pro tip: Use this seminar-organizing checklist to help gather a panel of psychologists, therapists, or other mental health professionals to inform your audience about symptoms and warning signs of mental illness.
14. Help in a crisis
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰
In times of crisis, knowing what to do can save a life. Organize a crisis-training course to equip community leaders on how to handle any mental health crisis, such as depression, trauma, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol or substance abuse.
This type of training is valuable in any setting where people rely on one another for support, like schools, workplaces, and community centers. You can coordinate with a clinic or hospital for guidance and to increase your reach.
Some topics you can include in this Mental Health Awareness Month activity are:
- Mental health first aid: Recognizing signs of crisis and knowing the best next steps.
- Active listening practice: Developing the ability to provide a judgment-free space.
- Crisis de-escalation: Reacting calmly to highly emotional and distressing situations.
Teaching attendees to create a network of trained, compassionate responders in their respective organizations sends a positive message: No one has to ever face their struggles alone.
💡Pro tip: Seminars like this are valuable and should be made available to as many people as possible. This is where strategic promotions come in. Spread the word through forums, support groups, press releases, and paid advertisements.
For example, if you’re an Eventbrite user, boosting your listing with Eventbrite Ads gives it priority placement. Organizers who leverage this tool have seen up to a 14x increase in impressions. With tons of audience targeting features, you can rest easy knowing your ads are getting in front of the right audience. For example, our geo-targeting feature makes sure potential attendees nearby can see your event.
15. Host a film screening
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰💰
What do movies like “Silver Linings Playbook,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “A Beautiful Mind” have in common? They tackle complex mental health issues and make them easier to understand and process.
Documentaries convey the same effect. Five18 Family Care Events, for instance, has a screening event for Resilience, a documentary.
Once the film is over, hold a Q&A or discussion led by a psychologist or counselor for a deeper and more lasting impact.
16. Host an event for Mental Health Action Day
Workplace friendly? 🏢🏢🏢
Virtual/hybrid friendly? 💻💻💻
Cost to set up: 💰💰
Mental Health Action Day is set aside for activities focused on improving mental health.
The following activities offer stress relief:
- Yoga or similar physical exercise that relieves tension and tightness
- Meditation or observance of silence for an extended period of time
- Share sessions led by a therapist or counselor
Think of ways to make your event as accessible as possible, whether that means making accommodations for attendees who use a wheelchair or offering a virtual component so that those who prefer to stay safe at home can still enjoy the event.
Inviting a well-respected psychologist from a local hospital or using materials from nationally recognized organizations can assure your audience that the information they receive at your event is trustworthy and accurate.
The Mental Health Action Day site offers excellent guidance on event dos and don’ts. We also have a useful guide on how to pull off mental health events.
How to promote mental health events
Congrats, you now have amazing Mental Health Awareness Month ideas to help you show up for your community!
Plan and purpose, locked in. All that’s left is to make sure people show up to your event.
Here’s how you can make it a success:
1. Set up an event page
Yes, you need a dedicated landing page to house all the important details for your event, like location, date, time, and what attendees can expect.
Eventbrite takes it up a notch by adding ticketing options and refund policies, as well as displaying past events and related content on one page. Behind the scenes, event management tools like RSVP tracking and automated reminders keep things all organized.
💡Pro Tip: If you need help coming up with a perfect event description, this guide can help.
2. Use social media to spread the word
Already have an engaged following? Tap into their interest by using your existing social channels.
Our latest TRNDS report shows that 64% of Gen Z and 61% of Millennials use social media (TikTok, Instagram) for event discovery, so don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Post event details on your pages and share teasers, testimonials, and BTS content to snag their attention. Shareable content makes it easy for viewers to forward it to their friends and family.
If your Facebook account is already linked to your Eventbrite profile, all you need to do is click the “Add to Facebook” button on your event listing, and you’re set.
3. Use email to send personalized invites
Emailing past attendees is a good marketing move, but only if they find your event relevant.
Segmenting your list (think: company admins, school admins, mental health advocates) is a crucial step in making sure you send the right invite to the right recipient. It creates more impact than adding names to the subject line, though that's also important.
Eventbrite lets you design, schedule, send, and track email campaigns – and our email campaigns have seen 59% more opens than the industry average.
Send better email invites with Eventbrite.
4. Connect with local communities and organizations
Go grassroots. Partner with mental health nonprofits, schools, wellness groups/brands, and businesses in the area. They already have the trust and support of the community and can help you find the right audience for your event.
Find wellness brands that will be glad to sponsor your event or give freebies to participants. Or host your gathering at a local establishment like a bookstore or a café.
5. Partner with influencers and advocates
Don’t carry the full weight of marketing your Mental Health Awareness Month activities alone.
Reach out to influencers, bloggers, and thought leaders who align with your event’s purpose. If you’re hosting an online workshop or educational talk, a licensed therapist or a renowned mental health advocate can easily endorse your event on their social media platforms.
For in-person events, you’ll need local connections and micro-influencers. An LA-based wellness coach is unlikely to promote your pets’ yoga event in Connecticut.
Last but not least, post testimonials and stories from previous attendees. According to Read and Run Chicago founder Alison Yates, “Word of mouth is a huge part of reaching new community members, as well as people who bring their friends to our events and get them hooked.”
Make a difference this Mental Health Awareness Month
As an event organizer, you can make a real impact during Mental Health Awareness Month.
These activities can help reduce stigma, provide support, and deepen connections. Choose the initiative that speaks to you. At Eventbrite, we’ll give you the tools to plan, promote, and reach people who will benefit from it. All you have to do is focus on making a lasting impact.
