FFI: Breaking the Silence

Hi, my name is James Reynolds, I participated in FFI’s Ireland/Northern Ireland immersion program during the summer of 2023. Part of this program is producing a social action project, this is because Friends Forever International helps youth become the best versions of themselves so they can help their community become the best version of itself. And our social action projects are our way of helping our community. I'm from Northern Ireland, specifically County Antrim. A major issue in my community which I am building my project around is mental health, specifically stigma around MH in youth, but also the lack of funding towards the mental health sector. My solution to this problem is to raise awareness of this stigma, and I plan to do this in the form of a documentary in which I will display several different first hand experiences through interviews I will be conducting. I plan to start work on this documentary in the coming months. The fundraising will be going towards camera equipment and travel, anything left over will go directly towards charities that support mental health, all proceeds will go directly to my community that way. FFI has a RECIPE which guides their programs which stands for: Resilience, Empathy, Communication, Impact, Playfulness and Effort. I believe my project ties into several aspects of the RECIPE.