How Dixons Carphone, the NHS and Huffington Post are supporting World Mental Health Day. Marketing Week, Rachel Gee, 10 Oct 2016. Read here
Dixons Carphone launches campaign for World Mental Health Day, Event Magazine, Kim Benjamin 10 October 2016. Read here
Dixons Carphone, The Mix and Heads Together team up for #ThereForMe campaign to mark World Mental Health Day. The Drum, Rebecca Stewart, 10 October 2016. Read here
The 11th Dixons Carphone charity dinner for The Mix raised enough funds to support over 3500 young people on our helpline.
The 2017 dinner and silent auction held in the beautiful Skylon restaurant at the Southbank centre saw the most influential people from digital, telecommunications and service industries come together for a night of generous fundraising. For their efforts, guests were treated to an evening of Mixology! cocktails, a silent auction hosted by Andrew Castle and a chance to win an iMac pro!
All funds raised will go towards supporting the The Mix – who reach and support over 2 million young people every year in the UK, and to continue to help support young people experiencing mental health problems as part of the Heads Together legacy.
“The UK faces an epidemic of young people struggling with their mental wellbeing. The Mix is unique is providing 24-hour support, 365 days a year through the digital, social and mobile channels young people turn to first. Thanks to the incredible support of Dixons Carphone and all those who attended on the night, we will be able to help thousands more young people in crisis” Chris Martin, CEO, The Mix
A massive thank you to all our sponsors!
Dixons Carphone has a long history of enhancing lives through technology and innovation. While The Mix has extensive expertise in harnessing digital technology to provide advice, support and information to young people. We bring our expertise, technology and knowledge together to provide young people with lifesaving, life changing help!
The Mix offers staff at Dixons Carphone the chance to get involved first hand in the work they support by taking part in incredibly rewarding volunteering opportunities which can be accessed either at home or in our offices.
Key Activities: Dixons Carphone staff can volunteer as a Digital Connector; talking to a variety of young people through web chats and email or become a Helpline Hero providing help, information and support to young people over the phone.
The Mix also encourages Dixon Carphone employees to use their skills to directly help drive and support the charity, from volunteering with our Digital Marketing team, to supporting and advising our Fundraising & Development staff.
Dixons Carphone Volunteer at The Mix – Mark Safier
On 6th July 2016 it will have been a year since I started my volunteering journey with The Mix. I joined as I wanted to continue to help young people as well as raising money through completing 50km walk in last year’s Race To The Stones.
After a superb few weeks of online webchat training & induction, I started the rewarding venture of being a remote volunteer – being able to ‘virtually’ help others from my own home has helped me to maintain my own work / life balance as well as being able to help The Mix fill different shifts as I work changing days & hours in a busy retail environment.
After having completed my induction and graduating I can honestly say that throughout I have been supported so well, either during a webchat, in a debrief or just ensuring my own well-being all whilst gaining experience and supporting young people in need.
I’ve recently been lucky enough to be on a coaching programme through my employer (Dixons Carphone) called Average To Awesome that has helped me mentally and physically to continue my own journey in not only continuing to raise funds for The Mix by doing 100km in this July’s Race To The Stones Ultramarathon but also by losing over 18kg (2.5stone) in weight.
This in turn has helped me be even more effective personally & professionally, at home, in work & volunteering too.
For information on skills donation volunteering click here.
On World Mental Health day (2016) as part of The Mix’s partnership with The Royal Foundation’s Heads Together Campaign, Dixons Carphone launched the social media #ThereForMe campaign in stores to help tackle stigma around mental health.
The campaign highlighted how everyone has tough times and we want everyone to celebrate the people who are there for us when we need them.
As Dixons Carphone are also a Founding Partner of Heads Together they share in the aim to change the conversation on mental health from fear and shame, to confidence and support.
Together, we want everyone to feel comfortable with their everyday mental wellbeing and able to support their friends and families through difficult times.
Customers and staff have taken photos holding up the name of a person who has been there for them. To find out more about the campaign visit our blog post here
In July 2017, over 100 participants from Dixon Carphone and supporters of The Mix took part in the Dixons Carphone Race to the Stones.
The event is a regular favourite having been going on for four years with Dixons Carphone being the headline charity since 2014.The gruelling 100km ultramarathon along the 5,000-year-old Ridgeway footpath, ending at the legendary Avebury stone circle saw 22 of the team go nonstop through the weekend while others rested for the night at the mid-way tented base.
The total raised for The Mix was a fantastic £26,185.05
“We are incredibly proud of the tremendous volunteering and fundraising efforts of Dixons Carphone colleagues who, over the past fifteen years, have helped The Mix grow to support two million young people a year and we look forward to helping them positively impact many more young lives.”Kesah Trowell, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Dixons Carphone who smashed the race this year!
A big thank you to all that participated and for those who came down to support!
2001
Partners with Carphone Warehouse launches!
2002
Get Connected expands its volunteer team and help 12,000 young people across the UK
Email service developed in 2003 to become more accessible to young people reluctant to talk over the phone, as well as young people with speaking or hearing impairments.
Webchat service launched in 2006
Get Connected live webchat service was launched in 2006.
Webchat has grown quickly in popularity, and is now our most popular channel for young people to contact us by.
First Carphone Warehouse Charity Auction 2008
With the support of the Senior Colleagues and generous suppliers, Carphone Warehouse raise £190,000 for Get Connected to help grow their service.
10th Anniversary and Daniel Radcliff becomes a Best Friend 2009
Get Connected celebrated its 10th anniversary with party hosted by Carphone Warehouse at House of Lords, attended by Sir Charles and Friends.
Carphone Warehouse ‘Get Foolish Week’ and the Connected Generation Report Published in 2010
Carphone Warehouse staff and customers get funny for money, raising £91,000 in a week for Get Connected.
Get Connected also publishes its first report revealing the need for a safe and dependable online resource for tech-savvy under 25s
It finds that Nine out of ten young people in Britain turn to the internet rather than their family or friends for help.
Dixons Carphone launches – August 2014
Dixons Carphone Race to the Stones launches in 2014
150 Fundraisers trekked the Ridgeway, Britain’s oldest recognised pathway, beginning at Chinnor in Oxfordshire and ending at Europe’s largest stone circle in Avebury. Travelling from all over the world and armed with nothing but their sturdiest walking shoes and a waterproof, they pitted themselves against hardy terrain to complete the challenge in stages. They raise £42,000 for Get Connected.
In 2014, with the support of Dixons Carphone Get Connected have helped 600,000 of the most vulnerable children and young people across the UK since launching in 1999.
Get Connected launch Digital Connector and Counselling services for young people in 2015
Digital Connectors are able to volunteer their time form home, with over 100 recruited additional to the London contact centre volunteers.
Get Connected telephone counselling service provides over 1000 sessions to young people in crisis who need additional support with their mental health.
With the changing needs of mobile and tablet devises young people ask for the SMS services to close and for Get Connected to focus on their webchat provision.
Get Connected and YouthNet merge to launch The Mix – 2016
Launched in March 2016 The Mix brings together YouthNet’s extensive digital reach and Get Connected’s telephone helpline services to create the UK’s largest multi-channel support charity for under 25 year olds.
The Mix is a multi-channel service designed to support the physical and mental wellbeing of young people under 25 across the UK whatever their issue through the technology of their choice.
Building on the legacy and long term investment Dixons Carphone commit to a new strategic partnership with The Mix to help support the National Young people, by providing a blended service delivered on their own terms and through the technology of their choice.
Proud Partners of the Heads Together Campaign – 2017
The Mix is one of eight charity partners of the royals Heads Together campaign – working together to end the stigma around mental health. Dixons Carphone is the proud founding partner, helping to change the conversation on mental health and giving people the tools they need to help themselves.
