This year’s theme…TIME

Our experience of the Covid pandemic and lockdowns has led many of us to re-evaluate the importance of time and how we spend it. In life and work we often encounter huge pressures on our time which can impact our mental health and, as is often the case, time dedicated to self-care and wellbeing can often be placed low in our list of priorities.

This year’s festival invites all of us to:

• explore the time we have,
  • how we use it and, where we can,
• dedicate time to those significant things that help keep us well,
  • whether that’s committing time to learning and self-development,
  • spending time with friends, family and community,
  • engaging in creative activities, self-care, rest and relaxation, or giving our time to help, support and enrich the lives of others. A series of taster sessions will be on offer throughout the week.

To support the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day we will be running a series of sessions with our partners focusing on ‘mental health in an unequal world’. This will include panel discussions focusing on art, diversity and inequality, supporting neurodiversity in the workplace and the search for equality, alongside an unmissable in conversation with Mind Chief Executive and City Lit Fellow, Paul Farmer CBE.