ART4GRENFELL

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) happens after you experience something extremely stressful, it can affect you if you witnessed something terrible happening let alone live through a life changing tragedy. Grenfell fire has changed our community on so many levels, some have found a voice to call out on failed authorities, others have no words to express what they feel let alone what has happened.

Most people take time to get over a traumatic event, but in PTSD, you can't move past the event and carry on having dreams, flashbacks or upsetting thoughts about it.

Children are affected as are grown adults, stopping people from resuming regular activities such as concentrating at school, getting up for work or even carrying out simple household chores.

But what about the youth or more specifically young adults 18+, how do you react when so much pressure is on you from the media, from your family and friends? You’re starting a new chapter in your life possibly heading to university or starting your career? You might be a young parent or a carer with responsibilities of your own, now you’re facing the deepest challenge that's not only taken over physically but has control of your mind.

When your own mind is questioning life and the people you once trusted? You are in a space of grief, doubt, anger, sadness ...pain.

It’s an overwhelming mental health condition that creates anxiety and depression. Given the state of our community right now, many of our local members can identify with this, with some directly affected through losing family, their homes or close ones as young adults who are going through these symptoms too, battling with mental health and responding to the same trauma we naturally came together to create something we hoped would help more young people immerse in healing, maybe healing is an ambitious word- far to early to even acknowledge; because really it’s just a distraction.