Youth with an OPEN mind presents: MINDFRAMES

Challenging Ideas on Mental Illness:

MINDFRAMES is a dramatic presentation by Youth with an OPEN mind which raises awareness about the myths and misconceptions surrounding mental illness.

Mindframes Update – July 2008

Youth with an OPEN mind is very excited about the success of our play Mindframes.

From November 2007 until June 2008 we have presented to over 2000 people and received a lot of rave reviews. We started with Grades 7 & 8 classes from 6 schools in Thunder Bay coming to Magnus Theatre to see our opening show. From there we hosted 4 public shows, 3 conferences and several performances in high schools throughout the city.

Our next step is creating a DVD package about the play and interviews with the cast. We hope to share this with schools in the city and region. It would be fantastic for others to create their own play to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness.

Communicating to Youth With Drama

Youth is often a time of change and struggle. Our presentation aims to help youth understand their emotions and feel less alone. We hope everyone becomes more comfortable talking openly about mental health issues and that people will be accepting of those who struggle with mental illness.

“When I struggled with an eating disorder, it felt like people treated me like I was ‘broken.’ I want others to understand that you are normal, even though you may be dealing with mental health issues.”