HERMIONE TOWNSEND

In the UK, 1 in 10 young people will suffer from mental health issues, and 90% of them will experience stigma and discrimination, a strong barrier to seeking help and living a normal life. Nearly three in four young people fear the reactions of friends when they talk about their mental health problems. The Black Dog campaign aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and encourage people to seek help early, rather than suffering in silence. In collaboration with SANE workshop facilitators, we designed a completely new set of tools and activities to make their workshops more interactive and engaging. Each aims to enable students in the UK to experience how some of the physical symptoms of common mental health conditions might manifest in someone living with the condition. The activities tackle some common misconceptions and stigmas that surround these and generate understanding and empathy. For example, the coloured glasses shown below are used to explore the different perceptions a person might have on a situation, depending on the state of their mental health.

For this project, we worked very closely with Adrian Garcia, head of the campaign, to co-create a valuable resource that not only reflects the unique spirit of the BDC workshops, but also brings tactile and engaging interactions to the experience. The Engage x SANE are already being used in the campaign’s workshops, and are in the process to being rolled out to a wider number of volunteers.