About

The first phase of Synergi established an international centre of excellence on ethnic inequalities, severe mental illness and multiple disadvantage. 

In this new phase of Synergi, our focus is on shifting power and resource to grassroots groups and community organisers working on the intersection of racial justice and mental health.  

We connect activists and organisers into a network and shift power and resource to grassroots groups. We celebrate the history of activists that have come before us, and in collaboration, we build on this legacy. Together we’ll imagine alternatives, reshaping the future to one of hope and healing, justice and joy. 

Our Vision

That funding pathways created by Synergi lead to increased accessibility of funding for ​community/groups increasing resources for their work and advancing their initiatives​. Establishing connections with other movement-building initiatives fostering increase collaboration and knowledge sharing on operational strategies. Thereby increasing connection, leading to a reduction in siloes. By learning alternatives approaches to mental health, there is a greater interests and readiness for Community/groups feel empowered to reimagine alternatives and to integrate abolitionist principles and approaches. Lastly, an increased visibility and awareness of shared histories through archiving and recognising the historical work that has been done whilst engaging current approaches. 

We want to create an ecosystem to challenge and influence systems and create new ways of supporting mental health needs.  

Our Approach

Synergi is led by and for racialised people with lived experience of mental ill health, trauma or distress. The project team recognise that the ways in which mental health is framed within the public imagination, is grounded in Western and capitalist ideology and as such is not inclusive of the experiences of racialised Black and Brown bodies. Synergi works at the local level with community and grassroots collectives, who have historically worked at the intersection of racial justice and mental health within an abolitionist framework.  

Our four workstreams: Democratising Policy; Supporting Movement Spaces; Community Responses to Mental Health; Remembrance As Resistance map out how our activities work to platform racialised and BPoC communities through resourcing, fostering connection and peer learning, bolstering energy and momentum of movement-building approaches. These workstreams and activities align to our long-term impact, and vision. 

Our Values Statements

As a team we developed a set of value statements that will guide our choices and the ways in which we work and also who we work with.  

Synergi first and foremost collaborates with racialised and BPoC individuals, grassroot groups and communities. It includes those who’s needs are overlooked because of experiences in carceral spaces, as well as lived experiences of dominant mental health approaches. Synergi also recognises that it cannot achieve its vision in silo and is engaging with stakeholders that can influence and spur systemic changes to current mental health approaches, such as funders, policy makers and those working with abolitionist and mental health fields.

The Theory of Change diagram, which seeks to speak to the Synergi strategy which spans from 2022-2025, as well as beyond 2025 (for further Synergi project phases). It visually and quickly articulates how the project is working towards its strategic aims. We have paid attention to ensuring the outcomes are measurable and are underpinned by our values.  

We also wanted to recognise that change is not always linear and requires time and resourcing. The Theory of Change developed therefore, maps out both incremental and transformative changes that the project aspires to, but also knows it is achieving.  

We envision The Synergi diagram (2022 – 25) to be used with our primary stakeholders and communities. We envision The Synergi diagram (2022 – post 25) to be used within a strategic capacity e.g. funders and established social impact organisations. 

Find out more about the Synergi team, our governance board, the roots of our work, our policies and how to become a member of NSUN below.