The Mission to Seafarers is proud to announce it has been shortlisted for SAFETY4SEA’s Crew Welfare Organisation Award 2022!
The Mission to Seafarers has been nominated for its ‘WeCare’ programme, which provides a suite of wellbeing courses to protect seafarers’ mental health and welfare, addressing three important areas: money, communication and relationships. Supporting seafarers with key programmes which are accessible on land and at sea helps seafarers and their families during challenging times.
The WeCare programme consists of three courses delivered across different streams: Financial Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing and On Board Mental Health Champions. The first two courses are available via e-learning, online seminars, and physical workshops, and explore how mental health is influenced by everyday issues, providing seafarers with short-term and long-term coping strategies to maintain wellbeing. The third course, On Board Mental Health Champions, is available on YouTube and through a podcast series. This resource explores leadership and culture onboard, how it can influence crew welfare, and provides practical solutions. The variety of delivery options and rich content has enabled WeCare to receive a 95% approval rating from graduates of the scheme, who rated the courses ‘very good’ and referred them to colleagues and friends.
WeCare trainers include serving seafarers who can provide WeCare lessons out at sea among fellow sea-staff as well as to families of seafarers while at home. This helps to teach rural communities who wonder what life is like for their loved ones at sea, and raise awareness of the challenges. Qualified trainers also include crewing managers and officers who look to lead by example and apply WeCare to their teams. Training a wide variety of individuals to provide this support increases understanding of challenges and empathy with seafarers looking for support.
In 2022, the WeCare programme is set to expand further and release new materials that can benefit the welfare of seafarers. This includes a wide range of online and print materials in various languages, including English, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Russian. Through the WeCare programme, and the Mission’s partnerships with UK P&I Club, MSC Group, Columbia Ship Management, Bernhard Schulte Ship Management, Ocean Technologies Group and more, over 50,000 seafarers and their families have access to WeCare in 2022. To build on this foundation, The Mission to Seafarers has an ambitious target to reach over 100,000 seafarers and their families in 2022 by exploring other partnerships and driving awareness of the tools available to the industry to protect and support seafarers. As a result of access to this programme, seafarers, their families, and the Chaplains and volunteers that support them, can share their knowledge of mental health and wellbeing and contribute to improved crew welfare around the world.
Cast your vote here: https://crewwelfareweek.com/awards/#organisation
