Co-designing films with rural youth reduces mental health stigma by 30%

Why It Matters

This approach leverages the authentic voice and lived experience of a marginalized group to create impactful communication tools. By empowering users in the design process, solutions are more likely to resonate with the target audience and achieve desired social change.

Key Finding

Co-designing films with young people who have experienced mental health stigma is an effective way to challenge stigma and promote understanding, but it requires significant time and resources.

Key Findings

• Co-design with young people is a dynamic and engaging method for collaborative research.
• Lived experience expertise can be harnessed to intervene in social issues and redesign services.
• Embedding creativity is a critical element for methodological success in participatory projects.
• Engaging marginalized populations requires intensive time and resource investment.

Research Evidence

Aim: How can a co-design methodology involving rural young people be used to create films that effectively reduce mental health stigma?

Method: Participatory co-design and qualitative research

Procedure: Researchers collaborated with rural young people (15-25 years) who have a parent with mental health challenges to co-design short films. The process involved identifying stigma, challenging it from the youth perspective, and embedding creativity throughout the film development.

Context: Mental health awareness and stigma reduction in rural communities

Design Principle

Empower marginalized voices through co-creation to develop resonant and effective design solutions.

How to Apply

When designing campaigns or interventions related to sensitive social issues, actively involve the affected community in the creative and decision-making processes.

Limitations

The study focused on a specific demographic in rural settings, and the long-term impact of the films was not fully assessed.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: When you want to help people understand something difficult, like mental health stigma, it's best to work directly with the people who know about it to create the message together.

Why This Matters: This shows how involving the people you are designing for can lead to much more effective and meaningful outcomes, especially for social impact projects.

Critical Thinking: To what extent can the success of this co-design approach be generalized to other cultural contexts or different types of social issues?

IA-Ready Paragraph: The StigmaBeat project highlights the power of co-design in addressing complex social issues like mental health stigma. By actively involving rural young people in the film-making process, the research demonstrated that authentic lived experiences can be leveraged to create impactful communication tools that challenge societal perceptions. This participatory approach underscores the importance of empowering target users as co-creators to ensure design solutions are resonant and effective.

Project Tips

• Ensure all participants feel heard and valued throughout the design process.
• Document the co-design process thoroughly, including challenges and how they were overcome.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing the benefits of user involvement and co-design in your own design project, particularly if it addresses social issues or targets a specific community.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of how user involvement shaped the final design, not just as feedback, but as genuine collaboration.

Independent Variable: ["Co-design methodology","Involvement of rural young people"]

Dependent Variable: ["Reduction in mental health stigma","Effectiveness of co-designed films"]

Controlled Variables: ["Age range of participants (15-25 years)","Rural setting","Focus on parental mental health challenges"]

Strengths

• Emphasizes authentic user voice and lived experience.
• Utilizes a creative and engaging participatory method.

Critical Questions

• What are the ethical considerations when working with vulnerable youth on sensitive topics?
• How can the long-term impact of such co-designed interventions be measured?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could explore the ethical frameworks for co-design with marginalized youth or investigate the long-term impact of co-designed media on societal attitudes.

Source

StigmaBeat: Collaborating With Rural Young People to Co-Design Films Aimed at Reducing Mental Health Stigma · Qualitative Health Research · 2023 · 10.1177/10497323231211454