Originally shot on black and white reel-to-reel video a film produced in association with Swing Bridge Video that introduces the ‘Myself Project’ which was set up by MIND, the National Association for Mental Health to promote good mental health in children and young people. The film looks at work being carried out by the project at both Knoplaw First School and Blacklaw Comprehensive in Newcastle to encourage children and young people to be more self-aware and become a more well-rounded...

Originally shot on black and white reel-to-reel video a film produced in association with Swing Bridge Video that introduces the ‘Myself Project’ which was set up by MIND, the National Association for Mental Health to promote good mental health in children and young people. The film looks at work being carried out by the project at both Knoplaw First School and Blacklaw Comprehensive in Newcastle to encourage children and young people to be more self-aware and become a more well-rounded individual. Title: MIND National Association for Mental Health At Knoplaw First School a group of five-and-six-year-olds look into the camera. At Blacklaw Comprehensive School an older group of secondary school children take part in a roleplaying exercise. Back at Knoplaw First School a class taking part in a drama and Physical Education (PE) class in a sports hall, they run around the space some rolling on the floor to music. Title: An Introduction to the Myself Project At Knoplaw First School the children continue to run and roll about on the floor changing to an introduction to this film by Brian Patman, a Heath Education Officer. He begins by talking about health education in general, but more importantly mental health education. He explains this video has been produced for teachers to offer some methods and approaches in mental health education for the children in their care as part of the Myself Project run by Bob Stewart and Joan Williamson. Joan Williamson walks along a path and goes into Knop Law First School. Inside an assembly hall a class sits watching a television programme about Robinson Crusoe. Joan explains to camera how after watching the programme the children can have the same feelings and emotions as the character of Robinson Crusoe, they can see themselves on a deserted island in their drama and PE lesson. In a sports hall a teacher leads the children in a workshop to imagine being on a desert island and to build a house using some of the apparatus set up around the room. Joan joins some of the children helping with their play, she asks one group if they would want to stay in the desert island and how they would get off it. Joan explains to camera that art is also part of this Myself Project. Standing beside their artworks she asks several pupils what they think the person in their pictures are feeling. After the lesion Joan speaks with Mike the teacher about what he thinks the children have learned. They’ve become aware of their own and other people’s feelings and how they affect other children, they are learning to be part of society. Exterior of Blacklaw Comprehensive School, inside pupils coming down a set of stairs. In a class Bob Stewart leads a lesson in which the children take on rolls as policemen and women trying to identify someone who is to be kidnapped by examining the emotional effect that person has in the hypothetical family. Bob provides details about how the session works and interviews several pupils during the lesson. The exercise is expanded to hypothetical include members of the pupil’s own families, some of them go through a list of family members, including themselves, in order of how they see them as emotionally important. In another classroom teacher Maria Rainford explains why she believes the Myself Project will be helpful to teachers in mental health education as it will encourage children to look at themselves in relationship with other people and increase their self-awareness and self-knowledge. Credit: Produced by Hugh Kelly VTR Editing Roderick Stewart, Ray Palfreyman Mind Educational Advisors Bob Stewart, Joan Williamson Title: And thanks to Proctor and Gamble Community Service Project, Newcastle Polytechnic, Newcastle University, Town Teacher, School Council, Jill Brocker, Coxlodge Teachers Centre, Pendower Teachers Centre, Health Education Centre, BBC, Badge Design Group, Knowlaw First School, Blacklaw Comprehensive School and the numerous other people who have helped in this project End title: Myself Project