MANA trains ordinary people to have the conversation nobody's having.
Meet. Ask. Notice. Act.
Why we exist
The people struggling most usually look fine. They're good company, they turn up, they're the first to make a joke in a bad meeting, so nobody asks. And it isn't because nobody cares, it's because there's nothing obvious to go on.
Nearly everything in mental health waits for someone to put their hand up, whether that's a helpline, therapy or the EAP. We're built for the person who never will, and who'd tell you they're alright if you only asked once. If something we do doesn't make it more likely that person gets asked properly, we stop doing it.
Who does the asking
Anyone close enough: a colleague, a manager, a friend. Not qualified, just near. It's always volunteers, because someone made to ask is worse than nobody asking, and people can tell straight away.
How we're paid for
The course is free forever. Workplaces pay for the check-in system, the support for their volunteers and the annual review, because they carry the duty of care and it's where most people spend their days. We keep the team small and automate the admin so the price stays low.
What we believe
| Value | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Say the real thing | We say suicide and depression out loud, because dancing round the words makes them bigger |
| Volunteers, never conscripts | Nobody is made to take the course or become a volunteer, ever |
| Hopeful, not soft | Most people get through this, and that's why it's worth asking. We don't pretend it's easy though |
| Prove it, don't claim it | We publish our numbers every year, including what didn't work |
| Free stays free | The course will never go behind a wall |
| Machines do the admin, people do the care | Reminders and paperwork are automated, and every conversation about how someone's doing is human |
What we'll never do
We won't treat anyone, run crisis support or match strangers to talk to each other. We won't make the course compulsory for managers, put what anyone said through AI, or claim we prevent suicides. What we can say is that more people get asked properly, and we'll show you the numbers.
By 2040
Nobody in Britain works somewhere where nobody would ask. That's two million people trained and 50,000 workplaces carrying the mark. Britain first, because that's where we can prove it, then anywhere that'll have us.
Proof in public
Every year we'll publish an impact report: how many people took the course, how many check-ins were answered, whether volunteers are actually asking, and the anonymous answer to "has anyone asked how you're really doing, and meant it?" It'll include the bits that didn't work. We also publish the list of tools we use, so you can see exactly what touches your data.