The State of Mind project is a national initiative that has been brought to Barnsley by PSS health trainers, the Trust’s recovery and wellbeing services and action space mobile, to improve local people’s mental fitness and wellbeing through sport and educational messages.
To kick off the project, a workshop was led by Phil Cooper from State of Mind who explained how the programme worked in practice and what was involved in the five sessions. The project was then launched at a special event in May that featured presentations by State of Mind trainers about the campaign, as well as a market stall event to provide information on local NHS, sporting and community services available in Barnsley.
As part of the project, five sessions are being run across the summer, which men over the age of 16 are invited to come along to and find out how physical and artistic activities can be utilised to help them manage difficulties they may be experiencing while improving their physical and mental wellbeing.
The sessions include:
1. State of mind workshop and assault course incorporating art and sound
2. Sound it out anger management workshop and drumming/ boxercise session
3. Time out, take notice stress management workshop and allotment activity
4. Food and mood cook and eat session with a tag rugby/ football session
5. Impact coping mechanisms/strategies and creation of a community sculpture
As well as boosting the knowledge and confidence of those who have attended the sessions, the project also aims to increase awareness in the local community of mental health, coping mechanisms that people can utilise in everyday life and ways to improve quality of life through improved mental fitness.
Those who have taken part in the project will be encouraged to share what they have learnt with their friends, families and sporting peers.