Obstacle Race Against Stigma and Shame (ORASS)

Community Consortium Uganda (CCU) launched their Obstacle Race Against Stigma and Shame (ORASS) program in 2020 with funding from Comic Relief UK and expanded the project in 2021 with funding from War Child. Obstacle Race Against Stigma and Shame (ORASS) is a four-component intervention delivered and scaled through schools and communities that combines movement-based challenges with peer support networks to tackle stigma and promote mental health education among youth ages 10-24. The four components include:

• Get on Your Marks – Team Up – four-week program using physical obstacles that mirror emotional and mental challenges associated with stigma, used as conversation starters to educate youth on mental health and build resilience. Youth attend four weeks of programming following a set curriculum facilitated by trained teachers, health workers, and community leaders.
• Mind Shift – peer support networks providing “been there” empathy, insight, encouragement and assistance
• Youth Emotion Skills (YES) – three-week emotional and stress management training for youth struggling with additional challenges (i.e., bullying)
• Schools and Community Resilience Initiative – comprehensive training for educators and community leaders to reduce mental health stigma and establish supportive environments for youth

With Transition to Scale funding, they are expanding the program into Tanzania along a local youth-led implementation partner, Young and Alive.