NNC Progam Calls For MHFA-qualified Participants in Creative, Media and Marketing

Developed by industry leaders Andy Wright (Never Not Creative) and Virginia Scully (Humankind Collective), Never Not Listening is a new peer support program for people in creative, media and marketing who want somewhere to talk about the pressure they carry, before it turns into burnout.

The next step after MHFA

The September pilot is calling on professionals with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training across these industries to sign up and learn invaluable listening and facilitation skills that can have a real impact in workplaces.

The pilot program is developed with Virginia Scully, Humankind Collective Founder and a People and Culture expert specialising in mental health and psychosocial safety. With nearly 30 years in the creative and media industry, Virginia blends deep professional expertise with lived experience that shapes everything she does.

Says Virginia: "Everyone who's done Mental Health First Aid training already knows how to notice when someone's struggling."

"Never Not Listening gives them somewhere to put that into practice, first by taking part themselves, then, if it's right for them, by facilitating for others—developing listening and facilitation skills that become invaluable across every workplace."

"It's proof that the moment people in this industry open up, they realise they were never carrying it alone."

The research is in

NNC's Mentally Healthy research has consistently found that the single biggest driver of stress for people in this industry isn't just clients, managers or deadlines, it's the pressure we put on ourselves to do great work.

That pressure comes from a good place: we want to be our best, we wear our hearts on our sleeves, and we put everything we have into what we make. The problem isn't the passion. It's that nobody ever taught us how to carry it, and, because everyone around us is doing exactly the same thing, it starts to feel normal.  Until it isn't.

The toll is real:

• 82% of people say they mentally take the job home with them

• 76% say it affects their health

• 71% have lost sleep over it
  

But only 36% think a different job would fix things. The support that people in our industry need, is sharing tools, experiences and community for how we handle the pressure inside it.

That's the gap Never Not Listening is built to close. We don't have to suffer in silence. If you reach out, there's a very good chance the person next to you has felt exactly the same way and just needed someone to say it to first.

Says Andy Wright, Founder of Never Not Creative: "Despite the pressures, this remains a rewarding and purposeful industry to work in."

"We care about the work, we wear our hearts on our sleeves, and we give everything we've got to it. The problem is nobody ever taught us how to handle that kind of pressure, and because we're all doing it, it just feels normal, until it isn't."

"Sure, you may have supportive friends and family, but that’s not quite the same as talking and listening with people in the same boat who get it, and that can change everything."

What does the program involve?

Never Not Listening runs as six fortnightly, two-hour peer support sessions over 12 weeks, with the same small group and facilitators throughout. Sessions are peer-led rather than expert-led, and build practical, simple tools for noticing pressure earlier and speaking up about it sooner. It's not therapy and it's not a crisis service. It's peer support, for people who are managing, not people in crisis.

• Face-to-face mental wellbeing sessions held by video (or in-person where possible) with the same group and facilitators throughout.

• A private channel to ask questions and check in with the group between sessions.

• Held on the same day and time each fortnight e.g. First and third Mondays of the month, 6pm – 8pm.

• Structured sessions with a consistent routine: check-ins, short skill drops, paired practice and action planning that supports you listening and sharing with others.

MHFA-trained professionals working in the creative, media and marketing industries are invited to register for the pilot below.

Eligibility and expansion

The pilot opens in September and is reserved for people who have completed Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training within the last 24 months.

Participants are first invited to experience the program for themselves, with the option to go on and facilitate future groups using the skills they already have. For those that haven’t felt they’ve been able to put their training to good use, Never Not Listening is exactly that opportunity. After the pilot, Never Not Listening will open to the wider industry, with future groups facilitated by pilot graduates and members of NNC's Never Not Mentally-Healthy Change Group.

Register here

About Never Not Creative

Mavens is a proud industry supporter of Never Not Creative, a charity using community to create better mental health outcomes for the creative, media and marketing industry.

Founded in 2018 after a survey of more than 2,200 industry professionals found more than half showing signs of anxiety, depression or high stress, NNC works to make sure the people producing great creative work are also given the chance to be happy and healthy while they do it — through research, peer support programs, mentorship and direct industry action.

NNC's research program, conducted in partnership with Everymind and Unltd, is among the largest of its kind in the Australian creative industry, and NNC's 2024 Mentally Healthy findings have been presented to almost 200 industry leaders across Melbourne and Sydney.

We highly recommend their webinar series 'Asking for a Friend' where you can submit any question anonymously, and the NNC podcast which is packed with great content for creatives and leaders who care about people and culture.