1 in 4 of us will suffer from a mental health disorder at some point in our lives – with British teens and young people ranking amongst some of the most depressed in the world.
Exam and school work pressure is the worst it’s ever been. Bullying is on the rise with the misuse of social media platforms making it easier to harass and terrorize victims. Not to mention the constant bombardment from the media telling us who we should be, how we should act, what we should look like.
It’s no wonder then that we’ve ended up here. With a world full of pain and suffering; with young people filled with self-loathing and distorted body image; with hearts that are crushed with a heavy sadness; with people waking up in the morning exhausted – staggering through their day in the same haze of exhaustion.
Little Book of Chaos
That’s why we’re working to provide youth workers, mental health charities, and you with an alternative response to the pressures that everyday life can bring. Our youth-based social media project – VerseFirst – is releasing a new resource this May to give young people hope when times get tough. The Little Book of Chaos is designed to remind us that the struggles are real, that it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling, and that God is love.
The Bible is packed with stories about people who were full of hopes, dreams, and a whole heap of flaws and questions – just regular human beings like us. Struggling to understand life, happiness, pain… all the stuff we squash down in our deepest being. We hope that Little Book of Chaos will bring opportunity for vulnerability and openness about the ongoing nature of many people’s suffering. We recognise that God is at work in people where they are, and that he will speak through and in the midst of mental health issues. God is found in our everyday experiences, and wherever we find ourselves, we can cry out to the heavens from there.
The subject of mental health is a complex one, and sometimes it just takes one thing to help kick-start the conversation. We believe Little Book of Chaos will be a great starting point to get us talking. If we can recognise our own experiences reflected in the Bible, it gives us permission to feel what we feel.
With your help we can reach 10,000 young people who are struggling with their mental health. Head over to our Indiegogo campaign to learn more and get involved!
