A film charting the experiences of people in Dundee recovering from mental health challenges is set to premiere in the city later this week.
“Making Recovery Real in Dundee” captures the personal accounts and stories of 18 Dundonians who have lived experiences of mental health difficulties and recovery.
The film is the centre-piece of a wider project under the same name which was established in 2015 and backed by Dundee City Council, NHS Tayside and a network of Third Sector organisations.
Led by the Scottish Recovery Network it aims to achieve a shift in power at all levels towards people with experiences of mental health problems.
Ken Lynn, chair of the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership said: “The first step towards empowering people who have actually had mental health issues is to listen to their experiences and then act on what we have heard.
“The film creates a powerful platform that allows us to see first-hand how challenging life can be, not just because of a person’s mental health, but because of the way service providers and other people interact with them.
“Using positive recovery stories in a structured way to inform our vision, strategies and plans and then to deliver best practice in services is the definitely the way forward.”
With technical backing from Tigershark Films, local project worker Rob Warren, recorded, directed and edited the 20-minute long film.
He said: “I am pleased to have played a part in giving a voice to people who use statutory and voluntary services in Dundee.”
The premiere’s audience will include some of the participants in the film as well as invited guests from service providers.
As well as the film, Friday’s screening at the DCA will see the first 15 people trained in peer to peer advocacy given their certificates. Along with the film these individuals will also be able to give a voice to users when services are being created or adapted.
Health minister Shona Robison will be on hand to present the qualifications in what is a first for Dundee.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
