A new mural has been unveiled near St Mirren Park, created by youngsters seeking to break the stigma around mental health.
Neurally diverse youngsters from CREATE Paisely’s Neu Normal programme were able to do the work thanks to grant funding from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Healthy Minds Network.
As part of the project, over the course of eight weeks, 17 12-18-year-olds were tasked with making a mural that would explore and reflect their feelings around mental health and the stigma around it, with the aim of reaching the wider community and breaking down barriers about the issue.
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“It’s public now, it can start a conversation,” said Celia Maclean, Fundraising and Marketing manager at the charity.
The project was initiated during the pandemic and the group have been together for a year now. Based at the Star Project on Wallace Street, the group enables young people between 12-18 in Shortroods to discuss and explore topics that matter to them through art.
Celia explained: “It’s all about understanding all the different ways everyone's brain works, and how you can be a bit more patient with one another but more understanding of each other's differences, and embrace them.”
The group also participated in a mask making workshop, with the idea being that the masks reflect the image we present to others as a way of coping with mental health issues.
There are also plans for another mural in the pipeline funded by Renfrewshire Council’s Green Spaces fund. Celia explained the motivation behind it: “It’s about connecting more with your community and creating an appreciation of your community and what it's got and what your place is within your community and having a bit more respect for where you're from.”
You can find out more about the group at https://createpaisley.org.uk/
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