What are we willing to tolerate to protect free speech? "Legal but harmful" - This isn’t protection from cancel culture, it’s child abuse.
Category: Blog
How Resilient IS Gen Z?
In some ways, Gen Z is extremely resilient. I think we often underestimate how truly challenging it is to grow up in a world of 24/7 connectivity and social media. They are the guinea pig generation for the mobile digital technology age and thus they're having to develop their own version of resilience in a 'live' setting.
The rise of Illiberalism in Gen Z
We are seeing evidence of the rise of illiberalism across all age groups, it's just more difficult to unpack in the context of Gen Z because, in many ways, they seem far more accepting of difference than older cohorts.
What’s Going On In Your Head Christmas Special
The end of the year is upon us, and what a curious year it has been. As we look back on the ups, downs, and betweens, our talented performers and engaged audience stand out. What better way therefore than to end the year with a Christmas Special celebrating the performers and our Zoom audience from the 2020 … Continue reading What’s Going On In Your Head Christmas Special
Register for our September show
Registration now open for our show in September on the theme of neurodiversity
Loss – 19 June 2020
On 19th June 2020 our online jam was on the theme of loss. Loss is a bit of an immense subject and we were steered through many different aspects of it by a truly talented and engaging group of performers. If you want to watch back any of the performances head over to our Facebook page. And while you are there please give our page a quick “like”!
Liz opened the show with a skit on Dr & The Medics “Spirit In The Sky” dressed up in full costume, in a look that scared even herself.
The first performer of the night was Rachael Chadwick who read us some of the postcards sent to her from her inspiring and beautiful 60 postcards project.
Do you want to send your own postcard? All you need to do is grab an unused postcard or perhaps you could make one. Write about…
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Registration now open for our June show
Kindess Show
On 19 May 2020 our show was on the theme of kindness and it was a night of firsts. If you couldn’t join us, or you want to watch parts of it again, head over to our Facebook page where you can relive the live stream.
The show was opened by ‘Dog’ who performed “Count On Me” by Bruno Mars. This was the first time we had had a sock puppet open a show.
Following Dog in the line up was human being Kenton Hall who debuted a song on kindness he wrote especially for the show. And guess what? He has just announced that he is recording it so we will be able to hear it in all its glory without the Zoom filter effect. The song will be released to support Mind and we will post about it on our blog when it is released.
Comedian Juliette Burton
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Hope – 19 April 2020
Our second online jam was on the theme of hope and 10 very special performers filled us with hope and connection through their poetry, music, comedy and live drawings. A silver lining of having to run our shows online is that people are able to join us from further afield and it was fantastic to see people in the chat room from not only the UK but France, Germany, Sweden and Canada as well: What’s Going On In Your Head? went global on 19th April 2020! We also streamed the show on Facebook for the first time.
The show was opened by our host Liz Smith who, accompanied by Imagination’s “Just An Illusion”, took us on a virtual snorkeling trip before opening up “The Bar of Hope” where in Club Tropicana style the virtual drinks were free all night.
Lisa Gornick had her ink and paper on hand throughout the…
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“Let’s Talk About The Dangers of Social Media” Event – 12 November 2019
On 12th November 2019 I am hosting the monthly "Let's Talk About ..." event in London. We will be debating the dangers of social media. If you would like to attend click here to be added to the guest list. The panelists include Dr Paul Marsden, psychologist, Jonathan Garner founder of Mind Over Tech and … Continue reading “Let’s Talk About The Dangers of Social Media” Event – 12 November 2019
Why This Matters
Tech is advancing fast, our behaviours are already being modified by it, our privacy is being wholly undermined and our lives are being manipulated more and more by unaccountable forces.
“We cannot have a society in which, if two people wish to communicate, the only way it can happen is if it’s financed by a third person who wishes to manipulate them” Jaron Lanier
Lanier is referring to the business models of the tech companies that are based on a currency of personal data that can be sold to advertisers and organisations who wish to manipulate our behaviour. Yet we’re hooked to the convenience all the apps on our tech offer us. Designers are using our own biochemistry against us to make their products even more addictive with dopamine hits and by tapping into our reward centres.
The current cohort of teenagers are the most exposed, they have never known…
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The Podcast, Episode 4 – The Secret Inner Workings of the Mind
This episode is an edited recording of a live event The Secret Illness ran in November 2018 at London’s hClub. It features poetry and music performances from people living with OCD and some incredibly frank and open discussion about their experiences of the disorder.
The Podcast, Episode 3 – OCD Feels Like
This episode came out of a creative experiment. At this year’s OCDAction conference in London we set up an audio booth and asked delegates to record, anonymously, what OCD feels like to them.
If you like our podcast series don’t forget to rate it on whatever platform you listen to it on as that will help us reach more people.
Liz Smith 