Let's Raise Funding for Bodywhys!
Mind EveryBody is an advocacy group calling for better Eating Disorder services across Ireland.
To date, we have held protests in Dublin, Limerick, and Cork, appeared on Prime Time, lit buildings across Ireland purple to raise awareness that people can recover from eating disorders, and presented a briefing in the Dáil.
Our group is a mix of carers, professionals, and sufferers of eating disorders, and we believe the perspectives of many is what will lead to change.
Eating disorders are not a choice, but a mental illness. They affect individuals of all ages, genders, and body types. Types of eating disorders include ARFID, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder, and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder.
Healthcare services in Ireland have to date largely treated eating disorders as a physical illness, while only providing limited mental health supports for sufferers, or education for parents.
As part of our goal for Eating Disorders Action Day, we wanted to set up a fundraiser for Bodywhys, the eating disorders association of Ireland, to help fund more support services.
Bodywhys has gone a long way to fill in gaps in healthcare services by providing helplines, education, and support to families and sufferers of eating disorders.
Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental health illness, and early interventions for both sufferers and parents can go a long way in improving recovery outcomes.
In order to be able to offer more services, Bodywhys needs more funding.
Several ideas of services they would like to offer are:
- Meal coaching webinars (learning techniques to help a loved one with an eating disorder restore their relationship with themselves and with food).
- In-person Maudsley workshops (skills to support recovery, obtaining a better understanding of a loved one with an eating disorder, and learning new communication skills).
- Themed support groups for carers, such as a how to support someone on the autism spectrum who has an eating disorder, someone in the LGBTQ community, etc.
Our goal is to raise €30,000 to help them achieve some of these targets.
Please can you help us reach this goal?
Thank you :)
More about Bodywhys:
The mission of Bodywhys is to ensure support, awareness and understanding of eating disorders amongst the wider community, as well as advocating for the rights and healthcare needs of people affected by eating disorders. More information can be found on their website.
Organizer
Amy Hanley
Organizer
County Dublin
Think Bodywhys
Beneficiary