SMHAF Highland: Empowering Community Through Mental Health Arts

SMHAF Highland, a registered charity (SC054677), serves as the Highland-specific branch of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival. This initiative is a collaborative effort involving various local community groups and third-sector organizations, including Mikeysline, Creativity In Care, and the Highland Mindfulness Group. Based in the Scottish Highlands, SMHAF Highland curates a diverse annual program that includes visual arts exhibitions, creative workshops, film screenings, theatre performances, and storytelling sessions. The primary goal of SMHAF Highland is to utilize the arts to challenge the stigma surrounding mental ill-health, encourage community participation, and raise awareness about mental wellbeing. The festival adopts a grassroots approach, ensuring that events are accessible to rural communities and reflect the local talent and lived experiences of Highland residents. Recent themes, such as 'Comfort and Disturb,' emphasize the dual role of art in providing solace to those in need while acting as a form of social activism to challenge privilege and power. Through its wide range of creative activities, SMHAF Highland provides a vital space for individuals to engage with mental health themes, fostering social connection and providing a platform for often marginalized voices to tell their stories in their own way.