Social Entrepreneur’s Profile

Manuela Richter-Werling

Irrsinnig Menschlich

Mental illness often begins in adolescence. But it often takes several years before those affected seek help. Ashoka Fellow Manuela Richter-Werling and Norbert Göller help people to recognise their distress earlier, not to hide and to accept support. 

The mission of the social enterprise before Corona:

Combating a society-wide fear of dealing with the problem of mental illness, Manuela shifts the focus from psychological disorders to the concept of mental fitness. In an effort that is effectively removing an age-old taboo, her organization creates an infrastructure that enables local health care organizations to do effective prevention work in schools, supports teachers in dealing with the emotional problems of their students, and increases the students’ emotional competences, enabling them to effectively seek help and react to mental crisis. Currently, they work with more than 120 cooperation partners in Central Europe, reaching about 40,000 young people with their programs (in 2019). To serve schools even more effectively, Manuela trains teachers to conduct mental fitness workshops themselves.