#8: Leaflet Research

I will be hand making a small flyer containing information about the project and a request for individuals to share their experiences of human connection.

I plan to hand these out to friends and associates, fellow students and also members of the public in order to gather content that I will use in my interventions.

I’m using a hand made item in the spirit of giving a gift in the hope of fostering a connection with my participants, thereby embodying the ethos of the project. I will experiment with sending the flyers out in a letter including a stamped addressed envelope so they can respond in kind if they wish, but I will also include an email address for them to email their response if they find that more convenient.

I am hoping that my using an intimate form of communication I will be building up a base of people who feel a connection to the project and might be willing to be involved again further down the line in my interventions.

The information on the flyer:

The Open Hand Project
Exploring human connection
Hello, this is a research project I am doing as part of my masters degree in Applied Imagination at Central st Martins.  I am exploring how we can create and facilitate human connection to improve mental health.

1 in 4 people suffer with a mental health problem each year and suicide is the leading killer of young people aged 15-25.

How can we change this?

I believe the answer lies in how we connect, both with ourselves and each other.

I am asking for some help with my research, if you’d be willing, please could you send me the answers to these questions;

– How do you find connection with yourself?
– How do you find connection with other people?
– Are there any little rituals or traditions you perform that give you a sense of meaning?

Please send your response to openhandconnect@gmail.com and stay in touch with the project
Thank you,
Edward