Mental Health Awareness Week: How to Build a Community

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘community’, which feels especially fitting for the year we’ve had at AmplifiED.

After starting as a one-man band, and for a long time just Alex and myself, having a supportive community has been an essential part of building and growing our business. Whether it has been leaning on former bosses, colleagues and clients, or forming new professional relationships, knowing we have a network of support has made all the difference in keeping us grounded on our startup journey.

Now, nearly two years in, we are proud to have built a new kind of community, our amazing team.

Since hiring our first employee in April 2024, one of the responsibilities we have felt most strongly is how to prioritise wellbeing at work. Fostering a sense of community within our team has been key to that.

Here are just some of the ways we try to embrace community to support our mental health:

Regular team lunches

We need little excuse to go out and celebrate. Whether it is a new client, a birthday or simply a sunny Friday afternoon, we try to get together as a team to share lunch or a drink and enjoy some time ‘off the clock’. These moments allow us to bond outside of work tasks and remind us that we are more than our to-do lists.

Walking Wednesdays

We are very fortunate to have our offices close to the beautiful Bushy Park. On Wednesdays, we encourage team members to take a lunchtime walk and have a chat in the fresh air.

Regular school visits

We make a point of getting out to visit our clients whenever we can. Nothing is more energising than stepping away from our desks and connecting in person with the schools we work so closely with online. These visits are also a lot of fun, especially when we get to collaborate with students on content and support them in promoting their schools.

Coaching and managing up

For us, community is built on communication. We aim to create space for honest conversations about goals, progression and wellbeing. We actively encourage feedback, both upward and across the team, to ensure everyone feels heard and supported as we continue to grow together.

At AmplifiED, we believe that community is not just something we build externally, but something we nurture internally. Whether it is a shared lunch, a walk in the park or a thoughtful conversation about future goals, these small, intentional moments shape a workplace where wellbeing is valued every day.

Written by

Flo Parker