Its Kushti to Rokker
By young Travellers for young Travellers - lets talk about mental health
Inspired by our Youth Advisory Group, the It's Kushti to Rokker project tells the real lived experiences of young Gypsies and Travellers through drama, poetry and documentary.
The video series will open up conversations and the accompanying toolkits provide information and support for young people, their families and friends and those working in front line services.
Project leader Lisa Smith said: "High levels of discrimination and educational exclusion can place young Gypsies and Travellers' at a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health. Youth-made films are uniquely useful for opening up conversations about challenging issues and bringing otherwise unheard voices to the forefront. We hope the impact of Its Kushti to Rokker will reach far wider than the young people involved in the project and that their stories and voices will be used as a lasting legacy to promote positive mental health and well-being."
The series includes a 10-minute documentary presented by Romani activist Betsy Mobey, aimed at policymakers, education and health care professionals, to improve knowledge of Gypsy and Traveller ethnicity and culture and the barriers young people encounter in fulfilling their potential and getting the support they need.
The films are designed to be used alongside the toolkit, created to support practitioners working with young people looking to facilitate discussions on mental health and well-being.
The toolkit also includes information on useful resources designed to enhance and support service providers' understanding of and engagement with Gypsy and Traveller communities.
Lots of hard work and technical expertise has gone into creating the Its Kushtii to Rokker series. Young people involved in this project have been absolutely instrumental in the development and production process. For a full list of crew and cast for each film click here for the credits.
