During 2022 / 23, our Art Therapist, Karly, worked with 8 local community groups to get them thinking about mental health, their experiences of using mental health services and how to access all the great VCSE (voluntary) sector support that is out there, including using the Sheffield Mental Health Guide.

There are some things that words cannot explain, and art gives us another way of communicating. Art helps people express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings while showcasing their views on what's happening in the world, or in their community.

Karly ran 8-week sessions with these groups and every group proved to be different - but they were all fun, they were all informative and they were all creative.

At the end of 12 months, This Is Us had produced a wealth of art and written word that expressed how local people feel about mental health - and we ended that first phase of the project with a exhibition of all the work, in the Central Library, in May / June 2023. The exhibition was wonderful and we had over 100 people at our opening evening.

During 2023 / 24 Karly will be working with more community groups, with the aim of reaching those voices which are seldom heard - or listened to.