The Black Dog Project came to life in March 2006 from the simple idea of providing a place to talk about and challenge the things that have a negative impact on the way young people perceive themselves and feel and do it in a creative, personal and engaging way through story telling, writing, poetry and art.
Inspiration for the project comes from the volunteer work I do with young people at risk of suicide and depression* – being acutely aware of the issues that have a negative impact on them, the importance of being able to ‘talk about it’ and how valuable art and images are as a means of communication. www.youthfocus.com.au.
Black Dog grows with true community spirit, through those who kindly donate art, stories, time, paper, printing … and help the pup travel simply by letting others know about it. Support of any kind is always appreciated and welcomed.
So what will you find in the Dog’s home?
Secrets webpage - loads of stories, art and articles free to read, print and share. Army of Ink Diaries - for a boost of personal power and constant stream of strength, collect, print, share the growing number of inky troops. Blog - tune in to the continual flow of art, poems, stories, links, interesting things to collect, see, print and share. The book In My Room and the Postcard Collection for something in print, that’s full of art and things to read and feed on – or use to get your own writing, thinking, talking and drawing going.
More of the story … In September 2005, after returning home from a weekend away on one of the youth camps, I said to my partner, “I’m closing the business – we have to do something.” I was a Personal Fitness Trainer and lecturer in the fitness industry at the time and I’d observed that although the young people on camp were experiencing dark times, depression wasn’t the topic of conversation, it was all the things that had an adverse affect on the way they viewed themselves and what was happening in their lives. Running the business and teaching other young fitness trainers I’d been privaleged to hear the stories of others, particularly about eating disorders , gain an insight into the extent of suffering in the community – sadly most often in silence. As a Mother of teenage kids, I was also deeply concerned about the toxic culture they were growing up in, one that does little to nurture and promote positive self image – I was compelled to challenge that.
The original idea was to create a communal place, immediately and easily accessible to people. Something that provided a ‘big picture’ view of the many issues that can have an adverse affect on the way young people feel, drew attention to the intimate relationship they often share and encouraged them to express themselves. At the time, I’d connected up with Melbourne Artist Harley Manifold to talk about designing the book I’d been writing, talked about the website idea, he drew the pup, and in March 2006 The Black Dog Project emerged.
Initially it was based around the Secrets webpage and it grew from there. Then it went into print with the book and postcard collection. In 2009, two kind Melbourne folk (Mike from Shaking Paper and Che, Beyond the Pixels) gifted their time to redesign and develop the Black Dog website. Now the Army of Ink troops can be more easily collected and shared through Face Books etc, and the Blog (including the regular BOy and Joker characters) provides an additional line of strength for followers.
The project is very much a ‘home grown’ one, with its growth determined by the direct contact with young people, the ideas and stories that come from that - Letter . Community talks and art exhibitions are another way Black Dog has a voice and presence in the community and collaborating with other community groups and organisations - example.
The name, ‘Black dog’ was used because… dogs have a reputation of being ‘man’s best friend’ – and I hope The Black Dog Project becomes a friend to people… former Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill described his depression as, the ‘Black Dog’… the black dog of dark moods has been present in my life since I was in my early teens. I accept it as my life-long companion, as both a gift and a curse – and try to use my experience of both to do something satisfying and meaningful… the ‘black dog story’ (in the book) offers a bit of insight into how the mind works. Project? That’s because it’s on the move, changing, evolving, progressing, and like the movie ‘Blair Witch Project’, it’s about venturing into the woods, exploring, discovering – and unlike the movie, finding our way out again.
If you can help in any way I’d love to hear from you – contact me here.
Yours faithfully ( like the dog) – Janine Browne (JB)
ln 2007 the Black Dog website was archived by the National Library, identified as ‘an electronic publication of valuable cultural significance’ . So not only are stories heard …they’re now also preserved.