About
The Global Now Project is a website that utilises service mapping software to map mental health organisation, initiatives, programs and information from around the world. The Global Now Project brings information about the mental health system into one convenient location. The Global Now Project aims to provide a baseline of information for a Global Situational Analysis. This will allow all stakeholders in the mental health sector the opportunity to dream, design and deliver an ideal mental health system with the idea of ‘Going Global in a Generation.’
‘In its full roll out, The Global Now Project will be comprised of 38 categories of the mental health system with each being composed of 5 key components:
- Organisation, Initiaitve & Program Database: information about mental health organisation, initiatives and programs with links to their contact and social media as well as the activities, events, opportunities, resources and information they provide
- University Faculty Database: information of university departments, faculties & schools from psychology, psychiatry and other mental health related educational disciplines
- Resource Clearinghouse: a one-stop-shop for resources
- Stakeholder Register: a repository for research that is organised by research questions & themes
- Research Clearinghouse: information of consumers, carers & professionals
How It All Began?
The Global Now Project came about in the imagination of founder Andrew Turtle. Due to Andrew’s traumatic experience with the mental health system, Andrew began research local, state, national and global mental health services. After completing a local website called the Mental Health Navigation Tool in 2016 that mapped all the mental health and related mental health services in his region, Andrew began constructing large Powerpoints and compiling table after table of mental health services. It was becoming too expensive to print off all this information and there wasn’t enough space on his computer or to store it in his bedroom. It was then that Andrew decided to go digital.
Andrew got in touch with local web developer Shamus Dollin from Thomas Marsden who began creating the database. At first the website was simple, with many hyperlinks being required, however with refinement over the years, the Global Now Project began to take shape.
Scoping Study
In late 2017, Andrew organised for a group of 6 local mental health consumers to brainstorm the idea of what an ideal mental health website would look like for a Project Management assignment. The group discussed ideas around service mapping, health literacy and the importance of a situational analysis as the first step of his planning. Andrew and his team came up with a scoping study, forming many of the ideas of what the Global Now Project would become.
Global Now Features