
Some attendee take-aways from our recent film review workshop
We recently ran a film review workshop with critic Alistair Harkness (@aliharkness) from The Scotsman. The topic of film is always guaranteed to get people talking as they are something people are really passionate about and can connect with. As a film lover I found the workshop really informative and it taught me a lot […]
‘Free Lunch Society’ – Film Screening and Discussion
The Health and Social Care Academy is partnering Take One Action Film Festivals to host a screening of thought-provoking documentary Free Lunch Society. Could Universal Basic Income (UBI) help create a fairer and healthier Scotland? Imagine a situation where you and everyone you know who lives in Scotland received the same minimum payment from the […]

Open Dialogue: tackling the power imbalance between mental health service users and staff
Andrew Strong of @ALLIANCEScot reflects on a new model for mental health support that could help break down power imbalances between service users and staff. For a word which is used so often, power is incredibly difficult to define. But as NHS Health Scotland point out in their excellent briefing note on power and health and social […]

Happy Valentine’s Day – Love Yourself!
It’s inescapable really, but today is Valentine’s Day. V-Day, as I’ll refer to it in this blog, is a day of living up to an ideal. One which is broadcast everywhere not least in advertising. I’ve spent more V-days alone than I ever have cooking romantic dinners, presenting cards and flowers, or playing Chris De […]
Meaning Making Through Movie Watching
Community correspondent Marilena gives us an academic take on finding meaning through movies. We all know that human beings love storytelling. One of the culturally-valued ways to listen to a story is by viewing a movie. Although movies are often considered a way to relax, to escape reality, or to be entertained, they also can […]
Box Sets – “I find I’m using them as part of my coping mechanism”
We’re talking movies this month. It’s great to hear from our correspondents the films they’re comforted or inspired by. For community correspondent John Dane, sitting down with a classic box set can be just the thing to lift his spirits. “When I’m feeling down I have a selection of boxed set DVDS of classic TV […]
Free Event: Sparking Ideas – Creating Solutions for Glasgow’s Social Challenges
Sparking Ideas: Creating Solutions for Glasgow’s Social Challenges. is a free event taking place in Glasgow on 1 March. It will feature three inspiring speakers who have created social enterprise ideas that have addressed community problems and are having a remarkable impact. The event is organised by Glasgow Social Enterprise Network and UnLtd Scotland. It’s […]
Community Groups Bringing People Together with Movies
As part of our film theme we have been speaking to organisations close to us about the ways in which they use film to engage and reach out to the people they work with. Our friends at Outside the Box run various community groups across Scotland which aim to promote inclusion. These groups bring people […]
Top tips for talking to your GP about mental health: now in Farsi
Speaking to your GP about mental health is never easy. If your first language isn’t English then it can be even more daunting. A wee while back we posted GAMH’s top tips for speaking to your GP about mental health, which the wonderful GAMH folk translated into multiple languages. They have now added Farsi to […]

The Importance of #BeingOurselves – Children’s Mental Health Week 2018
It is Children’s Mental Health Week. The week was started in 2015 by Place2B, an organisation that provides mental health support to children in primary and secondary schools across the UK, as well as to parents. Place2B says that over 8 out of 10 children they have spoken to have experienced low self-esteem. By having […]