Take A Minute | A New Short Video Series on Mental Health

Pip Piper, one of the team behind ‘Mountain Biking – The Untold British Story‘, has a new project on the go. This time, it’s a series of short films, made by young people for young people, to highlight mental health issues affecting them.

One of the films made so far is ‘Ollie’s Story’ – in which a boy describes how going for a mountain bike ride with his dad has changed his life for the better. Only there’s a twist here: the dad in question is Pip, and Ollie is his son.

There will be plenty of you reading this who can imagine or who have experienced being a parent of a child with mental health issues. As parents, we’re used to scooping up our children, administering magic kisses, plasters and Calpol, and sending them on their way. But when it’s mental ill health, how can you help then? You can’t see the problem, only the effect – and even then are you seeing everything that your child is feeling? How can you help? While Ollie had professional help too, going mountain biking with his dad is something that he thinks has really helped him:

‘Mountain biking for me was a form of therapy and a coping mechanism. To get out into nature on my bike really helped with some very difficult mental well being issues I was facing. Being a part of #take a minute and helping make this and another film has been great although I was aware I was being really honest. I’m hoping to help produce the other four films as part of the wider campaign too. #take a minute is all about young people talking about how they have dealt with their mental health journeys , the films are devised and made by young people with professional support.‘ – Ollie.

As well as taking Ollie mountain biking, Pip has been able to create the opportunity to make this ‘Take A Minute’ film, which Pip hopes will help other young people address their feelings and experiences of mental ill health:

‘At first I was very nervous with Ollie being so honest putting his story out there. However, it was very important for him to do that and being involved in the film and having people reach out to him when they saw it , was a very healing and cathartic process for him and us as a family. Taking him mountain biking is a real dad and son thing for us. It helps us connect and gives him space to get into nature and process his feelings. Allowing young people to talk about how they really feel is so important and these films can really help do that. When the remaining 4 films are created and the #take a minute campaign goes live officially , the hope is it will be of great benefit to a lot of people.’

The organisation behind this film project is called ‘One Small Barking Dog’. They have a variety of youth led film projects, and explain the thinking behind the ‘Take A Minute’ series.

‘#TakeAMinute will be a social media campaign that features a series of 6 short films being produced by ourselves that focus on and highlights young peoples’ mental health. This project is made by young people for young people. The intention is to help young people as well as practitioners and gate keepers to use the films to explore and discuss the issues raised.’

‘OSBD has already funded the creation of 2 of the 6 films so far and is now looking for further support for the project. We are hoping to complete the remaining 4 films and launch the campaign by the autumn/fall of 2020.’

If you’d like to support their work, head here to donate. Or, perhaps, Ollie’s tale will help inspire you to help someone else experience the mental health benefits of mountain biking?

Read more

• Deciding not to die isn’t the same as choosing to live
• What if I want to die every day of my life?
• Warning! Cliff edge ahead – we need to talk about mental health
• Mental health, mountain biking and looking after your mates 
• Keep an eye on yourself
• Viscious Cycle – A journey through depression on a bike

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Watch ‘Mountain Biking, The Untold British Story’:

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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