We celebrated our fifth birthday in January. In honour of this, and to spread a message of hope, we are calling on the island community to help us make 1000 origami cranes.
In Japan, the crane is a mystical creature, said to live for a thousand years. In Japanese culture, the crane represents good fortune and long life. The Japanese refer to the crane as the “bird of happiness”, and it has become a symbol of hope and healing during periods of ill-health, or periods of difficulty.
Executive Officer Beth Moore said: "JRC offers a message of hope and empowerment. We provide free community education for those experiencing mental health difficulties and the friends, families and professionals who support them. We gave out origami cranes during our launch event, as they fit so beautifully with our message and values. It seems only appropriate to repeat this gesture - but even bigger, and better - to celebrate our birthday and spread a message of recovery during these challenging times. We will give the birds as gifts and decorate the venue in a riot of colour!"
We are calling on individuals, organisations and companies to put aside 15 mins to make a crane (or two). This could be an evening distraction, a team building exercise or a way to while away the time with friends.
More information about the challenge can be found here
Instruction on how to make the cranes can be found here ">
Pop up events for crane making demonstrations are being held on
Once done, you might wish to write a wellbeing message or wish on the bird for the recipient. You should then photograph your birds (in a selfie, or a video, if you're feeling brave) and upload to social media and tag a friend or two to challenge them to join in the fun. Use the hashtag #1000craneschallenge.
If you have enjoyed the challenge and would like to make a donation to JRC please visit our justgiving page