Elevating young Muslim experiences Are you a Muslim-identifying content creator or artist, aged between 18 and 27 and living in the UK? Get involved with YoungMinds by working with us to create digital content that shares and celebrates your stories and experiences, to support young Muslims with their mental health. About this project We know from speaking with young Muslims that factors like Islamophobia and a lack of culturally informed support will cause young Muslims to be disproportionately impacted by mental health struggles. They also told us that hearing real stories from others like them can have a positive impact on their mental health. This project is about us passing the mic to young Muslim content creators or artists to create authentic content that will be posted on our social media channels and website, to support young Muslims with their mental health. Who are we looking for? We are looking to commission up to five young Muslim content creators or artists. You'll produce social-first content that shares your stories and experiences under the theme 'Celebrate what makes you, YOU.' To apply, you must be aged 18 and 27 and live in the UK. What type of content are we looking for? The theme for this content is: 'Celebrate what makes you, YOU'. We chose this theme to reflect young people’s desire to make space for joy and to authentically represent their experiences. Anything you create could reflect on your own mental health journey, faith, culture, sexuality, disability, your joy or anything you think would help young Muslims feel supported with their mental health. Although the theme focuses on celebration, we know it’s also important for young Muslims to hear about what people are going through, and that includes the downs as well as the ups. So, you may also want to share the more difficult kinds of experiences, challenges, and honest stories that you are comfortable sharing. Take a look below for more information on the type of content we're looking for. Content that celebrates every part of your identity Content that young Muslims can relate to Content that is honest and real How to apply To apply, please send us a short proposal with the following information: * your preferred name * your age * an idea for a piece/s of content or art you can create that responds to the themes we've highlighted * explain why you chose this idea * if possible, provide an example of a similar piece of content you’ve created in the past * your social media handles * roughly how long this piece of content or art will take for you to deliver You can send this to us in the following formats: * Word document or equivalent * PowerPoint or equivalent * a voice note or video The application deadline is 11.59pm on the 13 October 2024.  Email your proposal and/or questions to Yasin, the Senior Digital Inclusive Content Officer at: yasin.hassan@youngminds.org.uk. We will review all proposals and are aiming to get back to all applicants by the end of October. It’s unlikely that we will be able to take every application forward due to our resources and capacity. We’re really looking forward to receiving your proposal and potentially working with you on this project! Who can apply? Below we have outlined some important information about eligibility criteria for this project. Please read this carefully. * You must be aged between 18 and 27 and live in the UK. * You don't need to have a big following but will need to show that you're able to deliver social-first content. * We welcome interest from all young Muslim creators but we are especially interested in hearing from Disabled and Neurodivergent creators or artists, whose stories are currently underrepresented. * All commissioned artists and content creators are responsible for paying their own tax and National Insurance contributions. * We’re hoping to receive your content between January and March 2025. Accessibility support We want to be as accommodating as possible throughout this entire process. If you have any accessibility requirements, please do not hesitate to share those with us, and we will address them as soon as we can. If you require this page in another format or language, just let us know and we will get that sent over to you as soon as possible.   Whatever you need, our team are on hand to support you throughout this entire project. If you have any questions, please email Yasin, the Senior Digital Inclusive Content Officer at: yasin.hassan@youngminds.org.uk.  Here are some ‘thought starters’ for content you could create: TikTok or Instagram storytelling video For example, speaking about quotes from the Qur’an that bring you hope or what Muslim joy means to you. British Sign Language videos (BSL) Hopeful video messages for young Muslims using British Sign Language (BSL). A day in your life For example, you might choose to record a visit to the mosque while talking about three examples of how your faith gives you hope or strength. Come on our podcast Join us for an episode of our podcast alongside other young Muslim creators. Creative expression (video or artwork piece) For example, a spoken word video, rap or dance. Creative expression (written) Write a story about your own personal experience or create a fictional story. This could be an illustrated digital comic book or a written short story. This is not a prescriptive list but is simply a mix of ideas that might give you some inspiration. Your content style might not be reflected here, and that’s completely ok. We still would love to hear your idea/s. What we've heard from young Muslims In 2022, we ran some insight sessions with young Muslims in collaboration with the Muslim Youth Helpline. The aim was for the participants to shape our future content offer for young Muslims and ensure it met the needs of the Muslim community. Here are three things young Muslims told us they want to see more of: Content from young Muslims they can relate to Young Muslims told us they want to find other young Muslims who they can relate to and share experiences with. Honest stories and advice from other young Muslims Young Muslims told us they want to hear about culturally relevant experiences and stories that are authentic, real and followed up with practical advice and hope. Content that highlights the ups as well as the downs For example, content that celebrates the personal and unique relationship every young Muslim will have with their faith, while highlighting the ups and the downs they might go through. The young Muslims we spoke with also told us about five major factors that cause them to be disproportionately impacted by mental health struggles. The combination of these factors makes their experience of mental health far more complex. And that’s why we feel this project is so important. Here's what they told us impacts their mental health: 1. A lack of cultural and religious understanding within mainstream services. 2. Not wanting to burden their family or friends. 3. Generational differences and attitudes towards mental health. 4. Islamophobia. 5. A lack of positive representation of Muslims in the media. Our project with the Muslim Youth Helpline We have previously partnered with the Muslim Youth Helpline to deliver faith-informed, mental health advice and information for young Muslims. We then shared the content across our social media channels and website in an effort to reach and support young Muslims with their mental health. But we want to build on this. This project is part of our ongoing commitment to deliver content that supports young Muslims.