Jagex raises £225,000 for mental health non-profits
RuneScape developer, along with Rare, also recognized with Workplace Wellbeing Index award
Jagex announced today that, after a year of raising money for its 12-month Charitable Giving Intiative, it has surpassed its goal of £150,000, raising £225,000 for three charities: CPSL Mind, The Prince's Trust, and YMCA Right Here.
This time last year, Jagex launched the Charitable Giving Initiative in partnership with MIND. Though the campaign's start and end mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Jagex committed to a long-term focus on improving workplace mental health. Some elements of this included implementing a quiet room at the Jagex office, a Wellbeing resource channel on the company intranet, and providing various internal and external resources to staff.
With its audience, Jagex partnered with CPSL Mind, The Prince's Trust, and YMCA Right Here to encourage opportunities both for mental health awareness and charitable giving throughout the year. Earlier this month, Jagex helped fund CPSL Mind's STOP Suicide campaign for 2018 and hosted the campaign's launch at its headquarters.
Jagex also promoted World Mental Health Day in RuneScape, and plans to do so again this year. An in-game baby yeti item will be available for purchase to mark the occasion, and proceeds will benefit Jagex's three charities of choice.
In recognition of its commitment over the past year, both Jagex and a second game studio, Rare, have been recognized in MIND's Workplace Wellbeing Index with a Silver Award. The Silver Award is recognizes employers "achieving impact" by demonstrating meaningful progress over time in promoting staff mental health. This was Rare's first year on the index; Jagex was the first video game company on the index last year with a Bronze Award.
MIND is a non-profit organization focused on promoting mental health by improving services and spreading awareness. Its Workplace Wellbeing Index has, for two years running, catalogued employers that demonstrated good policies and practices related to mental health. It does this through staff and employer surveys, followed by providing support to improve practices, recommendations, and an eventual index ranking.