Blue shirts, big impact for Ceres crew

At the Ceres Project site, the Alevro team is making waves with a powerful initiative aimed at supporting mental health. Recently the team launched Blue Shirt Day, a grassroots effort to raise awareness and foster open conversations around mental wellbeing - especially among men, who often face stigma when speaking up. 

The initiative kicked off in June 2025, with team members swapping their usual workwear for blue shirts and gathering for a heartfelt morning session. Shelley Askevold, Senior Site Administrator – Alevro Joint Venture, got the ball rolling with a few mental health statistics before sharing a personal story about a family member’s journey through depression and recovery. This has been followed up each Friday with others in the team, including Jojie Alconaba and Jerry Alconaba stepping up to share their experience with mental health challenges faced by their family and friends. 

What started as a single day of awareness has now grown into a weekly tradition. Every Friday, team members wear their blue shirts as a visual reminder that “it’s okay to not be okay.” The team has also committed to creating space each week for someone to share a story or lead an activity related to mental health and keep the conversation going. 

The initiative is a testament to the strength of the Ceres team’s culture - one that values empathy, support and looking out for one another. 

“I am very proud of the team for supporting this and looking so good in Blue,” Shelley said. 

This initiative not only highlights the importance of mental health but also shows how small, consistent actions can create a big impact.