The Carleton Place Youth Centre, Open Doors for Lanark Children & Youth, the Town of Carleton Place and Planet Youth Lanark County (PYLC), a group of experienced mental health and addictions volunteers working towards helping to provide solutions to substance abuse and its related problems, will be screening a new acclaimed documentary ‘Connecting the Dots’ in Carleton Place on September 1st.
The film, directed by award-winning Noemi Weis is the first feature documentary of its kind that takes on the subject of mental health through the voices of young people around the world in a way you have never seen or heard before. It provides a raw and intimate look at youth mental health from a global perspective with heart-felt poignant stories of lived experiences. The film exclusively showcases young voices breaking barriers surrounding youth mental health. Through highly cinematic and character driven storytelling, ‘Connecting the Dots’ is emotional, reflective and hopeful. Our future leaders are speaking up. It’s time to listen. A short youth led discussion (which will follow the screening) will provide an opportunity to discuss how the community can help promote youth mental wellness.
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The film has won awards of excellence for feature documentary and viewer impact from the Global Accolade Film Competition for its content and message delivery. It touches upon a variety of subjects that influence the mental well-being of youths worldwide. Connecting the Dots raises issues of systemic racism, social mobility, homophobia, cyber-bullying, and the stigma associated with mental illness. It conveys how today’s youths are more open to having these conversations while their parents and grandparents largely saw mental illness as something to be hidden away.
While the efforts of Planet Youth Lanark County have been delayed due to our current pandemic, this film screening offers a rare and timely opportunity for families to connect and converse on topics that need to be at the forefront. The isolation and social restrictions that all of us have been going through have created spikes in overdoses and substance abuse. There is no better time to start the discussions.
The film will be screened outdoors at the Carleton Place Farmer’s Market on Beckwith Street on Wednesday September 1st starting at 7:15 pm. Preregistration is required in keeping with public health event regulations.
Please register using https://www.eventbrite.com/e/connecting-the-dots-a-conversation-about-youth-mental-health-tickets-167865166231
Article by Brian Turner
