23rd February 2023
Our Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service have recently transformed some of the walls at Beechcroft with a Street Art project. The young people helped to co-design the art with the company Blaze FX, which specialises in murals, graffiti, commercial art and community workshops.
The project started through the themes young people explored during Diversity and Inclusion Week. The team at Beechcroft use a Trauma Informed Practice model which was incorporated into the planning discussions along with Occupational Therapy team promotion of a balanced lifestyle and the 5 Steps to Wellbeing.
The project took a positive focus in reflecting on how the young people would want to be supported during difficult times in our lives.
Speaking about the inspiration for this piece, the young people involved explained that mushrooms (fungi) help connect plants and they can share the daily essentials such as food & help build resilience between plants. We all need support in life to develop our life skills and coping skills, young people identified their support networks including Beechcroft staff, home, community CAMHS and school etc.
The sleeping mushroom reflects how hard it can be to get motivated to do the good things that can help us look after our mental health, such as self-care, enjoying hobbies and getting out and about.
Like the caterpillar changes to a butterfly by using our supports to be nurtured and giving ourselves time for change, we keep going, keep growing!
The other pieces were inspired by things young people identified which makes them unique, like the pieces of a jigsaw, all the different pieces that make us.
Young people wanted to include a hand to represent the need for balance in our lives to help look after our mental health. It’s important to have a balance of self-care, enjoying hobbies, love of pets, keeping in touch, keeping learning and developing. They also liked the theme of looking after plants to help them blossom, symbolising how we need to do the same for ourselves.
Thank you to the team at CAMHS, the young people and Blaze FX for creating colourful areas with such an important message.
