Voices for Mental Health was an innovative and creative response to the rapidly increasing numbers of people suffering from poor mental health. The project aimed to empower people with mental health issues and illnesses, and their carers to have a voice to express themselves. The project attempted to ensure that their voices were heard by the public and key professionals in the community through public events and online platforms.
Focused in Gwent, it offered 2 new performance-focused groups in Blaenau Gwent and Newport, which included a range of creative writing, music and drama workshops, leading to a final collaborative sharing event. We worked closely with our partners in the Gwent Mental Health Consortium (Newport Mind, Torfaen & Blaenau Gwent Mind, Hafal and Growing Space) to ensure we reached people who have something to say.
Inside Out Cymru was a member of Gwent Mental Health Consortium commissioned by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board to run 12-15 weekly creative arts workshops around the Gwent region to support adults to develop ways of managing their long-term mental health.
This project aimed to help reduce the stigma around mental health which still exists in our community.