Dan, who was first supported by, and now works at, our HYPE (Helping Young People Engage) service in Bristol, chatted to us about all things creativity – and even performed a piece of his poetry for us - to show how having access to creative spaces and the right support has had a positive impact on his mental health.
How has creativity impacted your mental health?
“I’ve always been quite a creative person. Poetry is something that I've done throughout my whole life since I was younger.
“[Sometimes] I struggle with finding the right words that I want to say, [but] with my poems I’m able to articulate myself.
“Having the space to think, write, and answer questions and be creative has helped me think a lot clearer [and] I'm genuinely happier.”
Creativity has really given me the space to feel comfortable and accept myself.
Dan Mullinder
What inspires you to write?
“I like the fact that poems can be taken very personally by people, and that they can also be read on quite a broad spectrum. A certain piece could change someone's day, week, month, or even their life. [Sometimes it just takes] hearing that someone else has been through something similar.
“[For my poem ‘Lessons’] there were a few points of inspiration. I talk a lot about the stigma around having low mental health.
“The poem is quite inspirational and, as I've named it, is full of lessons and phrases that I feel everyone should hear at least once.
Why is support for mental health so important?
I feel like your mental health is just as important, if not more so than physical health.
Dan Mullinder
“You can have a physically healthy body but if your mental health is not good, it can still have an effect on your physical body. It's harder to maintain your physical health if your mental health is low.
“Reflected in the poem is [my experiences with the] support that’s been around and given to me. I’ve put a lot of lessons and words of others that have helped me throughout my life and my experiences of going through hard times.”
How does our HYPE service help support young people?
The HYPE service centers young people’s views and experience through talking, workshops, and creativity to really understand the young people’s perspectives.
“HYPE helps young people use their voice and experiences to change the systems in which they get help from, like health services and mental health support,” says Dan.
"We use and focus on co-production to educate and inspire health workers and practitioners to have a healthy work style and [approach with young people].”
We empower young people to speak out and to challenge the world around them.
Dan Mullinder
Young people’s experiences accessing mental health support
Young people speak about their experiences accessing mental health support and the changes they want to see from the Government.
Support for young people
Being a young person today can sometimes feel heavy. If you’d like some help to lift the load, we’ve services and information that can make life a little lighter.