The resources have been made available ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10 and are based around using film in the classroom as a powerful medium to explore and discuss difficult subjects.
The Into Film programme includes exclusive filmed content from a range of sources including film-makers and youth mental health professionals. It is all available for educators on Into Film+, which is free to access and rights-compliant. The curated films cater for students aged from five to 19. Relevant films for a primary school audience include:
- My Life as a Courgette (PG): Featuring an exploration of UNICEF's Rights of the Child in relation to the film.
- Inside Out (U): Featuring an introduction from youth mental health charity Place2Be's clinical director Nikki Cooper and an interview with the film’s co-director Ronnie Del Carmen. There is further material for primary-aged children exploring emotional wellbeing and teaching them to recognise and label their own emotions.
- Wonder (PG): Featuring an introduction from anti-bullying charity Kidscape ambassador and young film-maker Eden, and “a closer look” at the main character’s experience in school.
There will also be a curated collection of youth-made shorts entitled Moving Minds and a new accompanying teaching resource that tackle a variety of mental health and wellbeing issues (available from October 4).
Elsewhere, Into Film, in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, has just launched a Mindfulness Through Film resource and will offer Mindfulness CPD training this autumn supporting teachers and their pupils for World Mental Health Day.
Into Film is an education charity that aims to “unlock the power of film to deliver transformative learning outcomes for children and young people” in the classroom and via extra-curricular clubs and settings. The core Into Film programme is free for UK state schools.
- For further information about the mental wellbeing campaign, visit www.intofilm.org/mentalwellbeing
- For more details on the Mindfulness Through Film resource, visit www.intofilm.org/resources
- For details on the Mindfulness CPD training, visit www.intofilm.org/training
- To sign up to the streaming platform, Into Film+: www.intofilm.org/films