Doing it Our Way is a day of conversation, performance and art that brings together the voices of North Ayrshire and Arran’s mental health community. Discussions will be centered around a piece of theatre that explores local people’s lived experiences of the fine line between mental health and mental illness.

The Involved! Group and AIMS Advocacy commissioned, playwrights and theatre makers, Mariem Omari and Mark Jeary, to create this new piece of work. Mariem and Mark have been working with a group of people using mental health services in North Ayrshire and Arran for over six months to develop a piece of theatre based on their stories.

A testament to the power of creative expression, the group have developed confidence and performance skills, along with exploring self-management techniques that they can use in their everyday lives. Participants have been sharing their stories in a creative way, and questioning what challenges they have overcome to get to this place in their recovery journey.

This project is funded through Self Management Fund for Scotland which is administered by the Health and Social Care Alliance supported by a grant from the Scottish Government.