CLIENT: SCOTTISH ASSOC. OF MENTAL HEALTH
ROLE: DESIGNER AND ILLUSTRATOR
See Me is Scotland’s programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination. Funded by the Scottish Government and Comic Relief, and managed by SAMH and the Mental Health Foundation, their vision is to enable people who experience mental health problems to live fulfilled lives.
In an effort to reshape perceptions of mental health in education and youth work, a team of young individuals were enlisted to contribute to the creation and implementation of a national teaching toolkit called ‘What’s on Your Mind?’. The resources were designed for all secondary schools in Scotland, to support teachers having open and positive conversations about mental health and well-being with students aged 11 to 18.
BRIEF:
Develop an engaging ‘What’s on Your Mind?’ toolkit alongside a group of young people, consisting of exercises, scenario cards for discussion, information and signposting of where to ask for help.
The pack will be split into three modules built around the four capacities outlined in the Curriculum for Excellence as well as addressing key learning outcomes of the Health and Wellbeing Curriculum.
Collaborating with vulnerable young people
It was clear that any photography used in the toolkit was going to be unhelpful for avoiding stereotypes of people who experience mental health problems – be that their age, gender and overall image so this was carefully considered by using illustration.
The user testing told us that all pupils required different ways to engage with the materials and content. Some preferred the open discussion in the classroom amongst their peers and others wanted to engage in small groups or alone to think quietly about the topics, so this was built into the final solution.
It was important to provide a safe and supportive space for the young people collaborating on this project because they had all experienced mental health concerns at some time in their life so questions were carefully considered and a team of professionals were on hand if support was needed. The user testing was an extremely positive experience and the young people all said that they felt valued in the process which was really rewarding to hear.
Challenging stereotypes and opening up conversations
An illustrative character was developed as part of the visual identity, intentionally without gender or age to promote inclusion and avoid alienating any groups. Some of the discussion topics were primarily thought of as specific to a gender so it was important to break these stereotypes and have open conversations to explore them.
As well as the main toolkit for use in schools, a pocket-size Z-card was produced so that pupils could choose to revisit the information when they were at home or with their close friends. The design and language was developed and user tested throughout with the young people to ensure that the messaging felt relevant and that the style of activities felt appropriate and engaging to them. A userflow was also developed to help teachers remember good questioning methods so that they would feel comfortable opening up and talking to them about concerns.
These resources are currently in use in schools across Scotland, both in a digital and physical format.
