Today marks the start of the training for Phase one of The Emerging Kind, and the press release has gone off to the Journos…

Charity to launch innovative support project for people who view their mental health crisis as a transformation process

The Missing Kind, a charity with its head office in Castle Meadows, Norwich, has announced that it will be funding the first six-month phase of a project aiming to support people who are suffering from emotional or mental distress due to what they would consider to be part of a difficult spiritual transformation process, often initiated by trauma.

Working with Katie Mottram, who previously worked in the mental health field and recently launched an awareness – raising campaign called #Emerging Proud, this new project, called the Emerging Kind, will be providing training to 40 volunteers who have come through similar experiences and who now want to ‘give back’ and help others.  These volunteers will receive training to become peer group facilitators and the project will then enable the creation of ‘safe space’ group meetings around the UK and internationally, which the peer facilitators will be supported to organize.

Katie explains “The Emerging Kind is an exciting new project based on the outcomes from the Emerging Proud international launch events to ‘re-frame madness’, which took place on the 12th May.  The Emerging Proud campaign was set up to unite and give a voice to people who often feel alienated and marginalized, and are sometimes even pathologised, due to feeling that their experiences are not recognized or validated within our Western cultural framework. In October 2016 the grassroots social campaign was initiated, encouraging people to ‘Emerge Proud’; to share their personal stories of difficult transformation, and subsequent passion for creating a more open- minded paradigm; a world based on acceptance, compassion, re-connection and celebration of the unique gifts everyone has to offer.

The Emerging Kind project aims to grow a global network of Peers, to create safe space local groups, and to create a safer society in which people can more openly talk about extreme human transformation experiences, be validated, supported and empowered to bring their authentic Selves into the world, consequently transforming the world itself through conscious kindness.

Hugh Callacher, the founder of the Missing Kind charity and the visionary behind the ‘Kinda’ movement, is exactly the ‘Emerging Kind’ that our new project is championing.”

Waking up to a greater meaning to life other than wealth, Hugh now donates all of his business profits to support charitable ‘Kind’ projects.  The Missing Kind’s aim is to grow its ‘KindaKafe’ network through this project.  Hugh says “We set up our KindaKafe in Norwich as a safe and welcoming place for the marginalised in society and to inspire kindness.  We provide support to social entrepreneurs passionate about making a difference in the world.  Katie is clearly one of those people and we are proud to be sponsoring a project that will help those suffering from mental anguish through their experience of life.  

Each of the support groups set up through this project will aim to become its own ‘KindaKafe’.  KindaKafes can be anything from a few people sharing a cup of tea in a safe and welcoming environment, to a trading venue like the one we have in Norwich.  We will also be encouraging traditional cafes to offer their venues as safe spaces and become part of our member network.”

Whilst the Missing Kind are seed-funding the project start-up, through the profits of their network Missing Sock hospitality businesses in Cambridge and Paignton, they are hoping that other businesses will become involved to sponsor the project’s future activities, helping the movement and its social impact grow.

Further details of both the Emerging Kind project and the Missing Kind charity’s work can be found at www.emergingproud.com   and www.missingkind.org