Excerpt from the Official Media Release written by the youth team
Over a six month period, six youth participants, with the support of Libro Financial Group, met weekly to create a series of videos that challenge stereotypes and stigma associated with mental health issues. They also aimed to advance messages of inclusion, inspiring youth to think about how they can help themselves and others during tough times.
The Public Service Announcement “Define Hope“, demonstrates how emotions, like feeling alone or stressed out, are difficult to verbally communicate, and that printed words can be powerful while not absolute. The call to action is to increase personal awareness and acceptance and that hope exists in getting help.
Another video in the series include a promotional video, “All About mindyourmind“, showcasing mindyourmind.ca as a resource that youth can use to find help for themselves or a friend.
The dance film, “Ill At Will Breakdancers“, highlights the importance of dance as an emotional outlet and personal expression. Also explores themes of personal identity, self-image and channeling emotions while being part of a group who provides support and respect.
The team also participated in mental health training, in order to gain a better understanding of stigma and what they wanted their message to be. As well as social marketing training to find out what the best way was to get the message that they wanted out there to the maximum amount of people. They also helped participate in focus groups revolving around tools and projects that mindyourmind has been working on, giving a unique perspective to things in development throughout mindyourmind. They also helped to detail their volunteer experience with mindyourmind through webcams which showcased the importance of young people volunteering in the community.
