ARTiculate All Saints film: 'Ask, Don't Assume'
Posted on 04 October, 2019 News
Start360 is working with several youth groups in Ballymena as part ARTiculate; a three-year £600,000 programme funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland National Lottery funds and the Public Health Agency (PHA), which uses artists and the arts to give a voice to issues affecting young people.
One of the groups, from All Saints Youth Club, have got behind the camera to create a short film to raise awareness of mental health issues among their peers.
The film, entitled ‘Ask, Don’t Assume’, shows the reality of living with mental health difficulties and how important it is for young people to support each other.
Gerry McVeigh said, “It has been a fantastic experience working with All Saints Youth Club on the Articulate programme. The young people have made a film which gives a real sense of what it is like to be struggling with mental health issues.”
As part of the programme Action Mental Health delivered a Mental Health Awareness Workshop with the young people. LJ Youth Media then worked with the young people to develop and produce the film.
Lindsey Armstrong, Director at LJ Youth Media commented, "We are delighted to be working in partnership with Start360 and All Saints Youth Club. The heart of what we do at LJ is support young people to find their voice and create a short film about a subject that they feel passionate about. The young people at All Saints YC threw themselves into every aspect of our programme and have produced a really meaningful piece of film on mental health issues.”
Louisa Reed, Leader in Charge at All Saints Youth Club said, “We were grateful to have been given this opportunity to work on such an important topic with Start360 and LJ Youth media in raising awareness on mental health. The young people wanted to create a piece that could have an impact in their community. After viewing the short film young people felt that this could encourage at least one person to speak out for themselves or for their peers. We will continue to support and promote Mental Health Awareness.”