Exploring Stories is an innovative multimedia arts project, providing people living with mental ill-health, a creative space to share their stories, gain new skills and confidence and build new relationships and networks. People with mental health issues are often isolated and heavily dependent on small numbers of people for support.

 

The Exploring Stories project is seeking to specifically target the most marginalised and isolated residents, in the most deprived areas, providing innovative and sustainable creative opportunities and support for some of the most at risk residents. The creative activities can help improve their sense of wellbeing, their ability to connect with others, increase their sense of hope and improve their ability to make decisions and take action.

The project methodology is based on work undertaken by the Open Mind peer support project which has been working with people with mental health problems in Reading for 10 years. This project is run by, and for people, with mental health issues supported by staff from Real Time. 

 

The project uses a participatory video approach, integrating creative activities such as video production, sound recording, script writing, storyboarding, interviewing, and acting. Participants are encouraged to explore their environment through video and photography, gaining valuable insights into places they may not be familiar with, including a heightened awareness of available green spaces.