Animated Minds: Youth make movies about mental health
Posted on 11/06/2009 | 2 Comments
This past March Break the Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health partnered with the ViewFinders International Film Festival for Youth to host a free animation film camp for budding filmmakers (ages 12-18).
The purpose of the camp was to allow youth to express their creativity and learn about the film-making process. Participants were asked to explore the topics of mental health and mental illness and create a short films about what mattered most to them.
The films were screened as part of the ViewFinders International Film Festival last April and are now being taken on the road and shown to schools and community groups across Atlantic Canada.
The documentary was filmed during the week of the camp and highlights the importance of talking about mental health problems. I've uploaded three films created as part of the camp. I'll upload the rest next week.
Thanks to all the youth, film instructors and ViewFinders organizers who made this possible! A special thanks also to the T. R. Meighen Family Foundation for their financial support.
DOCUMENTARY
ANIMATED MINDS FILMS
(Disclaimer: Youth participants were provided with information about youth mental health, however some of the statistics in the videos are inaccurate)
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This is a great set of comments and rings very true.
I totally agree that scientists (just like everyone else) have their biases and foibles. After all, scientists are human beings too! But science is different than scientists.
The scientific method is the most objective frame that we have by which to evaluate and predict. Science is not about finding truth. It is only about being less wrong most of the time. The scientific method (experimental design and mathematics) gives us the ability to test what we believe. The scientific method is not used to prove something is correct, on the contrary, the scientific method is designed to prove that something is not correct! It is designed to test what is called the “null hypothesis”. It takes ideas that come out of left field (or wherever else they come from) and puts those ideas to an independent test.
t does not drive our beliefs. It does however challenge our beliefs. In that way it is self-correcting. Of course scientific inquiry and understanding lives within a wider social context. That is one of the great features of science.
But gravity is gravity, social context notwithstanding. And thus it is nasty, brutish and long. As Brecht said, (something like this) - the purpose of science is to save us from everlasting error.
By Christina Carew on May 11th
You can find us here too!
We would like to say thanks...
Without their help this initiative would not be possible. Thanks for you help.
What people are saying?
Nick Zwaagstra said...
This is a great initiative. What a wonderful way to tap into the creativity of the learners and to support them to give voice and animate messages from their experience.
I think this would be valuable also to educate children and teen bereavement experiences.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
D. Venn said...
Thanks Nick. It was a lot of fun and the youth said it was a positive experience.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
What do you think?