Invitation to Participate in the 2025 Campaign

Invitation to Participate in the 2025 Campaign

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10, the Chórtownia Foundation, in cooperation with the Silesian Association of Choirs and Orchestras and other partners, invites choirs and conductors to participate in the next edition of the international campaign "Music Supporting People in Depression", which will take place from October 5 to 13, 2025.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CAMPAIGN

  • Raise awareness about depression as a serious illness requiring treatment.
  • Encourage individuals struggling with depression to seek therapy.
  • Promote choral singing as a tool for mental health prevention and as a form of support in the healing process.

All choirs are welcome to participate.

FORMS OF PARTICIPATION

Participation can be realized through one or more of the following forms. Flexibility is high, and each format offers a real opportunity to impact public perception of depression and promote communal singing as a safe and valuable form of interpersonal connection:

  • Open rehearsal
  • Concert
  • Holy Mass with choir participation
  • "Singing for Health" – vocal workshops
  • Other formats agreed upon with Chórtownia


It is strongly recommended that choirs partner with a Subject-Matter Expert (SME) to enhance the educational impact of the initiative.

DESCRIPTION OF PARTICIPATION FORMATS

Open Rehearsal
The simplest and most effective form. Hold a standard rehearsal in your usual location, but invite the public through personal contacts, the internet, and local media. Open your doors to anyone curious about choral singing. This can encourage new participants and promote a sense of community. During or before the rehearsal, the Open Letter must be read. If a psychologist's lecture is planned beforehand, the letter should be read afterward.

Concert
Organize a free concert for the local community. Invite your SME partner – therapists, psychologists, mental health professionals – and honor them as special guests. This symbolic gesture underlines their importance in fighting depression. Read the Open Letter before or after the concert, especially if followed by a specialist lecture.

Holy Mass with Choir
Perform during a Mass dedicated to people suffering from depression. Ask the parish priest to include a message in parish announcements emphasizing that depression is an illness that requires treatment, not shame. Read the Open Letter after the Mass.

"Singing for Health" – Vocal Workshops
Organize a one-time open vocal workshop for the local community, led by a conductor or vocal coach. Ideally, this should take place in cooperation with an SME partner, possibly within a therapeutic setting. Singing in a group has a releasing, integrative, and strengthening effect. The Open Letter should be read before or after the session.

Other Formats
Do you have your own idea? Want to organize a hybrid or non-standard event? Contact the Chórtownia Foundation to work out the details and ensure it aligns with the campaign's goals.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

We recommend completing the following steps:

  1. Register one or more planned activities (concert, open rehearsal, etc.) via the registration form.
     
  2. Use the official visual identity provided.
     
  3. Secure a Subject-Matter Expert partner (recommended, but not mandatory if difficult). Contact a local mental health institution (e.g., therapist, psychologist, crisis center) to become your SME partner.
     
  4. Read the Open Letter – a message co-written by conductors, psychologists, psychotherapists, scientists, business professionals, and vocal coaches. Download it from the website and read it at every event.
     
  5. Post an online report from your event using the hashtags:
     #MuzykaWsparcieOsóbwDepresji
     #ŚwiatowyDzieńZdrowiaPsychicznego
     #MusicSupportingPeopleinDepression
     #WorldMentalHealthDay
     #BenefitsOfSinging
     
  6. If possible, inform local media or give interviews.
     

There are no limits to the number of participating choirs. The more we are, the greater our impact. Each choir may sign up for any or all activity types.

WHAT WE PROVIDE – ORGANIZATION AND PROMOTION

The Chórtownia Foundation and its partners offer comprehensive support for participating choirs:

Coordination and Communication

  • Unified registration system for national and international choirs.
  • Ongoing communication via email and other channels.
  • Technical and substantive support.
  • Assistance in organizing events and collaborating with SME partners.
  • Coordination of schedules and data collection for promotion.
     

Educational and Promotional Materials

  • Official documents: Open Letter, organizational guidelines, cooperation tips.
  • Logos, sample announcements, promotional graphics.
  • Assistance with preparing local communication materials (e.g., parish bulletins, press releases).
     

Media and Social Media Promotion

  • Publish announcements, reports, and visual materials.
  • Promote the campaign via Chórtownia and partners' channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube).
  • Encourage unified hashtag use.
  • Prepare media summaries and activity reports post-campaign.
     

Online and Partner Platforms

  • Build a database of events held.
  • Publish event descriptions, photos, and recordings.
  • Ensure accessibility of materials for external groups: therapists, cultural institutions, industry media.
     

PR Support

  • Assist with media releases to local institutions and authorities.
  • Provide templates for media communication.
  • Cooperate with the media for broader coverage and promotion.

 

SUBJECT-MATTER EXPERT (SME)

Each choir should establish contact with a local mental health institution (e.g., counseling center, crisis center, psychologist, therapist). This entity becomes the Subject-Matter Expert partner for the event.

OPEN LETTER

The Open Letter is a joint message prepared by a community of conductors, choirs, and experts – including psychotherapists, psychologists, doctors, scientists, and voice educators. The text should be downloaded from the website and read aloud at every event as part of the campaign.

WEBINARS

Two online info sessions are planned for:

Maximum 100 participants per session.

KEY DATES

  • Campaign events: October 4–12, 2025
     
  • Registration deadline: September 15, 2025
     Registration form
     

Registration helps us schedule all events, thank choirs, and compile reports.

DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS

To ensure a consistent visual identity, we provide:

  • Canva poster template for customization
  • Name-tag invitation templates for therapists/guests
  • Facebook event cover image template
  • Open Letter in printable PDF
  • Press release templates for local media

Available at the DOWNLOADS section on the website.

Co-ORGANIZER

Silesian Association of Choirs and Orchestras

PARTNERS

  • World Choral Conducting Network
  • Kodaly Institut Wien – Austria Coordinator
  • TYE Solutions – Germany Coordinator
  • City of Weaves – Institute of Urban Culture, Bielsko-Biała
  • Masterpeace Poland
  • Music Psychology Zone (Strefa Psychologii Muzyki)
  • Medica Health Center

PATRONAGE

  • Śpiewak Śląski
  • Regional Chamber of Commerce in Katowice (Regionalna Izba Gospodarcza)
  • Business HUB
  • MAM GŁOS platform
  • Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Łódź (Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. J. Nofera w Łodzi)
     

SUPPORTERS

  • 3W Information Services – tech support
  • Silesian Chamber of Employers (Śląska Izba Pracodawców)
  • Victoria Cultural Center and City of Gliwice
  • Association for Boys and Men (Stowarzyszenie na rzech Chłopców i Mężczyzn)
     

YOUR SUPPORT

Participation is free of charge, but if you wish to support the initiative, we are very grateful. Your help enables us to carry out valuable projects that bring relief to those in need and promote culture in these challenging times.

All support options are described here:
 https://chortownia.org/?vaction=tekst&typ=support&noctx=1

Thank you!