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)

If you’ve ever felt that talking to someone about a problem you’re facing is difficult or you feel like you would be more comfortable asking a question anonymously you’re not alone. Many youth feel the same way! For a lot of young people the Internet is an important source of health information, and a place where they can ask questions about topics they may not feel at ease discussing with friends, family or doctors.

According to a 2001 report produced by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation entitled “Generation RX.com: How young people use the Internet for Health Information”, three out of four youth (ages 15-24) have used the Internet at least once to find health information. This statistic is more than the proportion who have ever gone online to check sports scores (46%), buy something (50%), or participate in a chat room (67%), and about the same proportion that have ever played games (72%) or downloaded music (72%) online. The report also highlighted that about one in four youth have researched depression or mental illness (23%) and problems with drugs or alcohol (23%). And with the growth of the Internet and the number of youth who have access to computers, the number of young people accessing health information online might be even higher today!

Because so many youth are looking for information online about their health, including their mental health, it is more important than ever to provide young people with the best information possible for them to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. This means providing information that is based on scientific evidence and coming from qualified health care professionals.

One online resource doing just that is YooMagazine, an interactive health literacy program designed for young people. YooMagazine’s goal is to provide youth with accurate health and mental health information in a variety of interactive formats (information sheets, how-to sheets, Q&A, quizzes, etc.) and to improve health literacy and decision-making skills among youth.

YooMagazine started in 2006 by Dr. Darcy Santor, at the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health in Ottawa, and by Dr. Alexa Bagnell, at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. The program has partnered with experts and institutions across Canada giving the website a national scope and expertise. YooMagazine is also available to schools and community groups free of charge.

~ By Haley McInnis (excerpt from Moods Magazine - 2008 Fall Issue)