World Federation for Mental Health Appoints Kathryn Goetzke, Founder of iFred and Creator of Hopeful Minds and Hopeful Cities, As Representative at United Nations

RENO, NV / ACCESSWIRE / April 20, 2022 / The International Foundation of Research and Education (iFred), announces the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) appointed Founder Kathryn Goetzke to serve as a United Nations Department of Public Information Representative (UN DPI) for a 3-year term. The goals of WFMH are: to heighten public awareness about the importance of mental health and to gain understanding and improve attitudes about mental disorders; to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders; and, to improve the care, treatment, and recovery of people with mental disorders.

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Kathryn Goetzke and Gabriel Ivbijaro, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

As a UN DPI, Kathryn’s role includes speaking at UN events in an official capacity on behalf of all those around the world in support of the goals of the WFMH for prevention, advancement, and advocacy. The war in Ukraine, the impact of COVID-19, racial injustice, and more escalated the global mental health crisis, with anxiety, depression, and suicide around the world increasing.

Gabriel Ivbijaro MBE JP, Secretary-General and CEO of WFMH, states, “We are excited to have Kathryn on board, helping us speak for those around the world that need support. She has been a strong and powerful advocate for global mental health for many years and has been open about her own struggles. We are excited to have her work with us to make mental health a priority for all.”

KATHRYN GOETZKE AND HOPE

Kathryn Goetzke is a global mental health advocate, losing her father to suicide at 18, having her own attempt in her 20s, and struggling with anxiety, depression, addiction, and more. Through her struggles, she learned about mental health, launched her company The Mood Factory, launched the first nationwide cause marketing campaign for mental health, raised over 1 million dollars, and eventually created her own Hopeful Minds program for young kids to teach the “how-to” of hope. She serves on the advisory boards of the Women’s Brain Project, Global Movement for Mental Health, Y Mental Health, and was active in FundaMentalSDGS, a group that worked to get mental health incorporated into the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations.

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Kathryn Goetzke and her late father, Jon Goetzke

Kathryn took what she learned in business and created a Hopeful Cities project, giving cities tools to activate hope. She just published a Hopeful Cities Playbook that any city can download and use to activate hope in Government, Education, Science, Workplace, Art, and Awareness. Proclamation language is included, so all understand the importance of hope, the impact of hopelessness, and the critical hope skills they can use to improve every area of their lives. All program materials are free for download at Hopeful Cities, and iFred aims to encourage all to share and spread.

Kathryn is also the author of The Biggest Little Book About Hope, hosts The Hope Matrix Podcast, and recently launched an online Hopeful Mindsets on the College Campus through her consulting company Innovative Analysis, LLC. She teaches hope in the workplace, as hopelessness is one of the greatest costs to employers, and works proactively to manage her own hopelessness to keep herself healthy and engaged in life.

“This is one of the greatest honors of my life,” says Kathryn Goetzke, Founder of iFred. “My involvement in mental health was not on purpose, it was out of necessity and what my dad taught me about a strong work ethic. ‘Don’t complain about problems, do something about them.’ I saw a challenge with mental health branding and aimed to do something about it almost 20 years ago. Never did I think I would end up being a voice for those that are underrepresented and often unheard and finding the power of hope and the ability to teach it. It is a great honor and privilege, and I will work tirelessly to ensure all voices are heard.”

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Myron Belfer, Kathryn Goetzke, Kristy Stark, Harvard Boardroom

About iFred:

iFred, a 501(c)3 organization, is working to teach hope. iFred has worked to shine a positive light on mental health and eliminate stigma through prevention, research and education and created a shift in society’s negative perception of the disease through positive imagery, rebranding, celebrity engagement, cause marketing campaigns, and establishing the sunflower and color yellow as the international symbols for hope. iFred worked with The Mood Factory to do the first nationwide cause marketing campaign for mental health in the US, and created the first-ever program to teach hope called Hopeful Minds, based on research it is a teachable skill. iFred recently launched Hopeful Cities, and is working to establish the International Day of Hope where all share science, stories, and strategies for hope. Find out more at www.ifred.org.

About World Federation for Mental Health

WFMH is an international membership organization founded in 1948 to advance, among all peoples and nations, the prevention of mental and emotional disorders, the proper treatment and care of those with such disorders, and the promotion of mental health. The mission of the World Federation for Mental Health is to promote the advancement of mental health awareness, prevention of mental disorders, advocacy, and best practice recovery-focused interventions worldwide. Find out more at https://wfmh.global/who-we-are/about-us