Camp Bestival 2019
DMYH opens Bestival!
Dorset Mind Your Head had the incredible opportunity to open Camp Bestival 2019 by co-facilitating a mental health workshop, alongside the fantastic #LifeUnfiltered Team. Camp Bestival is a large family festival with something for everyone: live music, camping and circus acts to just name a few!
#LifeUnfiltered
#LifeUnfiltered is a short mental health awareness video, created by young people, for young people. The project was a 6-month collaboration by 25 young people, supported by Dorset Mind Your Head, Healthwatch Dorset, Dorset Mental Health Forum, Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust, Poole Youth Forum and Bournemouth University. This film was launched on World Mental Health Day 2017 and has since gained over 13k YouTube views.
Introductions and Ice-Breakers
The #LifeUnfiltered team began their workshop by introducing themselves and showing their video to the audience. Following this, DMYH and Bournemouth University had the chance to introduce themselves and how they got involved with #LifeUnfiltered. After some young mental health information and statistics were shared, the team lead an icebreaker exercise with the group. They read out examples of potential festival-related stress factors, such as losing your tent, and everyone rated how much stress each one would cause them. Through this exercise, they demonstrated how everyone experiences individual stress response triggers and intensities in response to different scenarios.
Notice the Signs
The team summarised Dorset Mind’s upcoming #NoticetheSigns’ project, which was developed out of Do-It Day 2018. Do-It Day was hosted by Dan Willis of Why Digital to engage the local digital industry in creative mental health awareness campaigns. The #LifeUnfiltered team were invited to this event to join the panel of judges who picked their favourite from four pitches.
The winning team produced #NoticetheSigns’ a project to introduce information and positive messaging in schools across Dorset; to educate young people and empower them to start conversations around mental health.
DMYH opens Bestival!
Dorset Mind Your Head had the incredible opportunity to open Camp Bestival 2019 by co-facilitating a mental health workshop, alongside the fantastic #LifeUnfiltered Team. Camp Bestival is a large family festival with something for everyone: live music, camping and circus acts to just name a few!
#LifeUnfiltered
#LifeUnfiltered is a short mental health awareness video, created by young people, for young people. The project was a 6-month collaboration by 25 young people, supported by Dorset Mind Your Head, Healthwatch Dorset, Dorset Mental Health Forum, Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust, Poole Youth Forum and Bournemouth University. This film was launched on World Mental Health Day 2017 and has since gained over 13k YouTube views.
Introductions and Ice-Breakers
The #LifeUnfiltered team began their workshop by introducing themselves and showing their video to the audience. Following this, DMYH and Bournemouth University had the chance to introduce themselves and how they got involved with #LifeUnfiltered. After some young mental health information and statistics were shared, the team lead an icebreaker exercise with the group. They read out examples of potential festival-related stress factors, such as losing your tent, and everyone rated how much stress each one would cause them. Through this exercise, they demonstrated how everyone experiences individual stress response triggers and intensities in response to different scenarios.
Notice the Signs
The team summarised Dorset Mind’s upcoming #NoticetheSigns’ project, which was developed out of Do-It Day 2018. Do-It Day was hosted by Dan Willis of Why Digital to engage the local digital industry in creative mental health awareness campaigns. The #LifeUnfiltered team were invited to this event to join the panel of judges who picked their favourite from four pitches.
The winning team produced #NoticetheSigns’ a project to introduce information and positive messaging in schools across Dorset; to educate young people and empower them to start conversations around mental health.
Workshop Activity
The audience were encouraged to write down their own favourite positive messages and tips to reduce stress. After this, everyone shared their posters within groups, and picked their favourite messages.
These favourite messages were then proudly displayed along a washing line of positivity, before being shared altogether as a room. These messages and tips will be used as suggestions for the upcoming ‘Notice the Signs’ Project.
It was inspiring to see children as young as four sharing what makes them happy, such as “cuddles with Bunny”; “playing with my sister” and “talking to my mummy”. The young people discussed how they can bring themselves up when they are feeling down, and the messages they found inspiring.
50% of mental health problems are established before a person turns 14. The earlier we encourage age-appropriate conversations around mental health, the closer we get to providing the future generation with the tools they need to protect themselves and get the most out of life.
Its time to empower our young people to begin mental health conversations and tools to identify, manage and express their emotions, to give them the best possible chance in life.
Who’s our blogger?
BIG thanks to our guest blogger and ambassador Lucy Lewis, who also took Dorset Mind Your Head to Bestival.
