Mental Health Sharing Evening

As part of Mental Health Week 2019 The Courtyard held a special Mental Health sharing evening in conjunction with their #TalkAwayDontWalkAway project.

The evening commenced with exhibitors from a variety of local organisations displaying information about the support that they can offer. These organisations included Herefordshire Mind, Thrive with Micha, Niche Personal Coaching, No Wrong Door, SHYPP, Strong Young Minds and The Courtyard Youth Theatre. Also on display was a collection of artwork and poetry from Hereford College of Arts and Rainbird Roots.

Succeeding the foyer exhibitions was an evening of performances shared by individuals and groups who have taken part in the #TalkAwayDontWalkAway project.

Kicking off the event was a screening of a film from students from Whitecross High School who shared what ‘mental health’ means to them during their interactive workshop.

Next up were performances from Bromyard Intermediate Youth Theatre who shared a drama piece demonstrating the conflicts we have within ourselves; Deanna Myers who read a poem written by Rainbird Roots artist Laura Ding Edwards; Courtyard Intermediate Youth Theatre who explored the different paths life takes us on and Courtyard Senior Youth Theatre who presented a dramatization of the importance of our mental health and its everyday impact.

During the interval audiences were treated to a series of dance performances by Herefordshire based Body Language School of Dance and were encouraged to participate in an interactive quiz all about mental health.

This was followed by young people from SHYPP who shared their writing inspired by mental health, a Katlyn Tarver song performed by Courtyard Youth Theatre member Lowri Hussain and a snippet of Spectrum from Bromyard Senior Youth Theatre. Spectrum was devised by the group in response to some of the hard-hitting mental health issues that teenagers face today.

Culminating the evening was a talk from Herefordshire Mind’s David Harding, who The Courtyard would specifically like to thank for its support throughout all stages of the  #TalkAwayDontWalkAway project and with the evening itself.

Thanks also to all of the other organisations involved in making the evening such a spectacular success.

An audience member said of the event:

“I knew something of the project before the Sharing Evening, but I wasn’t ready for the powerful performances which emerged. The intensity of the presentations from the young people gave such an insight into the need for us to talk openly about mental health.”

At a time when as many as 1 in 6 young people are expected to experience an anxiety condition at some point in their lives, it is now more vital than ever to ensure that they are equipped with strategies to talk about and cope with the mental health issues that they may one day face.

With the support of Herefordshire Community Foundation and Herefordshire Mind, The Courtyard’s Education team offer comprehensive workshops to secondary schools and youth groups and are currently taking bookings for the two hour workshops. The Courtyard will also provide a Mental Health Awareness Booklet and badge to each individual at the end of the session with useful information and contact details for support organisations.

For more information on The Courtyard’s Mental Health project visit our Mental Health Project page or call 01432 340555.