Adversity is not destiny.
Introducing the project
RESILIENT uses original cinema to engage vulnerable young people at a critical moment in their lives.
RESILIENT is a creative learning intervention for young people aged 15 - 18, who are under the care of NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
It uses a purpose-made, short film thriller to explore adversity, self-worth and the power of human connection – so as to help young people prepare for life after they are discharged from care.
RESILIENT is a collaboration between current and former CAMHS patients, specialist CAMHS teachers and clinicians, homelessness researchers, and an Oscar-winning team of filmmakers. It is independently evaluated by the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families’ Evidence Based Practice Unit. RESILIENT is hosted by the homeless and inclusion health charity Pathway.
Introducing the film
A quest for love, freedom and survival
The Mouse is a tender love story concealed within a fierce urban thriller. It tells the story of a fugitive boy battling to catch a mouse from the London Underground and give it to the girl he loves.
On his journey the hero Jakub confronts trauma, mental illness and homelessness, and these themes are discussed and explored in the learning sessions and creative exercises that interact with the film.
The Mouse was made by a team of leading film industry professionals, including Judy Counihan, producer of the two Oscar-winning films No Man’s Land and Antonia’s Line; Walter Donohue, Story Editor of the iconic Paris, Texas and 28 Days Later; and Casting Director Des Hamilton, renowned for his street casting on films such as Morvern Callar, This is England and JoJo Rabbit. Lead actor in The Mouse, Finn Bennett, went on to star opposite Jodie Foster in True Detective, Night Country.
Context & Purpose
A unique opportunity
As they embark on their early adult lives, young people who have experienced abuse and neglect as children, and developed serious mental illness as teenagers, are at the highest possible risk of falling into crises of isolation, despair, and rough sleeping.
Many of these young people are treated by NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), for sustained periods of time, as they approach the age of eighteen. RESILIENT has been created to help staff at these services fulfil the unique opportunity they have – to work creatively and generously with these young people, and help them navigate safely through the next phase of their lives.
Pathway is collaborating now with CAMHS services in England to support their use of RESILIENT. And we are developing a series of related projects and interventions – in partnership with experts by experience, CAMHS services, researchers, and creative professionals – to further help NHS child and adolescent mental healthcare services meet the needs of the most vulnerable children under their care.
“Watching and discussing The Mouse has engaged and stimulated our most hard-to-reach young people.
I think it’s an excellent resource.”
Teacher, Simmons House Adolescent Unit (Whittington Health NHS).
Funders & partners
Our funders
Our partners
RESILIENT was developed in partnership with patients, teachers and clinicians at Simmons House Adolescent Unit (Whittington Health NHS) in Haringey, North-East London.
Independent evaluation research is conducted by the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families’ Evidence-Based Practice Unit.
“A well-considered innovation with the potential to make a lasting contribution to the welfare of young people with mental illness.”
Endorsement for RESILIENT by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
