Stomp Out Stigma--Nice Turnout at San Francisco State University

The screening at San Francisco State University's "Stomp Out Stigma" presentation had some glitches in the beginning, mostly of a technical nature, but once the film got started, we were off and rolling.

We had a larger turnout than expected. I suppose some of the students came in to get extra credit points from their instructors. The event seems to have been well advertized as there were ads spread out all over the campus when we arrived.

I felt lots of energy in the room. The audience asked some good questions related to the documentary and mental-illness--even prior to the screening. This was while I was "stalling" and attempting to entertain the audience while the technical crew were fixing up the glitches with the projector and sound equipment.

The three clients who came with me to participate in the panel discussion & Q/A after the screening were terrific. They were a bit nervous in the beginning but, as usual, spoke eloquently about their experiences with mental illness and what they hoped to achieve through their films. One of the clients said to me, afterwards, that a student approached her and thanked for sharing. This student was also struggling with mental illness. The client noted how glad she was to be a part of this panel and be able to "make a difference, even to one individual."

My main message that evening was that prejudice, not mental illness, is the main problem in our society. We made this video project to fight stigma against mental illness using creativity as a weapon.

Thanks to ACTIVE MINDS and Counseling/Psychological Services of San Francisco State University for putting this event together.