Working together to #StampOutStigma
associated with challenges posed by mental health
by Suman Gupta
Mumbai: Mpower WOW is an initiative to eliminate stigma around mental illness in the larger event and entertainment industry, provide education and support to a community of event professionals working under extremely stressful conditions. The objective is to provide the community with tools that can lead the industry towards mental wellness. Together, Mpower, Wizcraft and WOW Awards Asia will proactively champion mental health causes, create awareness, and advocate prevention through a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach.
Speaking about the alliance for the initiative, Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder & Chairperson, Mpower, said “We are delighted to be associated with the WOW Awards Asia and Wizcraft. The Mpower WOW collaboration will initiate the objective to equip the events and entertainment industry with tools that can lead towards mental wellness.”
Mrs. Birla continued, “One of our main goals at Mpower is to bring about a change in the way people perceive mental health and envision a future where everyone receives the mental health care they need, without facing discrimination or shame. We are excited to lead such a unique and creative fundraising initiative with the silent auction & are thankful to the change-makers who have agreed to pledge and help us champion the cause”
Speaking about the initiative, Wiz Sabbas Joseph, Co-Founder & Director, Wizcraft International, said “Mental health increasingly is becoming a major challenge facing our industry. We hope that as we work to bring down these barriers, not only do our industry members feel empowered to ask for help, but so does the youth of our nation. We no longer should shy away from mental health challenges, instead we want people to feel represented and want to support them in facing these issues head on.” Speaking about the alliance for the initiative, Karishma Hundalani, Co-founder & Director, WOW Awards and EVENTFAQS Media, said “With WOW completing a decade last year, we wanted to extend our commitment to the event industry, to include initiatives that would ‘add value’ to the community. The opportunity to partner Mpower and Wizcraft came as an ideal fit given the high stress levels that our industry deals with and our personal acknowledgment of the power of the mind. Raising awareness on mental health is the first essential step in this direction, and we’re happy WOW and EVENTFAQS can serve as a platform for doing that.”
Mpower WOW is inviting leading artists of India to support the cause by pledging one commercial performance. These performances will be auctioned at WOW Awards Asia 2019 amongst 1000+ top event and wedding planners of India. 100% of the money generated will go to Mpower to further the cause of mental wellness in the event industry.
All the proceedings from the auction will go to Mpower – The Foundation and all the auction’s winners will be announced at The WOW Awards Gala Dinner. This will be followed by a special print edition of (Mpower WOW Edition), which will be released in July 2019. This would be followed by half day workshops with EVENTFAQs in multiple cities between July and March to highlight Mental Health Awareness.
About Mpower: Mpower, the brainchild of Mrs. Neerja Birla and Ms. Ananya Birla envisions a future where everyone receives the mental health care they need, without facing discrimination or shame, whilst simultaneously bringing change to policy and public life. Mpower proactively champions mental health causes, create awareness, advocate prevention and provide services through a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach.
About Wizcraft International: Wizcraft is one of India’s leading communication and entertainment Company, integrating strategy, creativity and technology to provide unique experiences.
Wizcraft, founded by Wiz Andre Timmins, Wiz Viraf Sarkari & Wiz Sabbas Joseph, has become a phenomenon in the event industry. They have tirelessly worked towards creating the world’s best event experiences and have been instrumental in shaping the event management industry in India.
About The WOW Awards Asia: Since 2009, WOW Awards has been the epitome of cultivating and celebrating excellence in the creation of LIVE events. 2019 marks the 11th anniversary of WOW Awards – The region’s largest business & recognition platform for the Experiential Marketing, MICE, LIVE Entertainment & Wedding Industry.
