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WeAreASSIF •

Anorexia, Skateboarding & Me. —

Like many others, Kelli described skateboarding as a release, a form of escape from the pressures of her condition - a chance to focus on the moment and only the moment. However, despite its therapeutic value, Kelli mentions her love-hate relationship with the sport, “the thing with skateboarding is that its a headfuck - you’re constantly battling with your self-preservation and fears.”

I called Kelli from on an overcast morning from her living room sofa - a world away from the long golden even
WeAreASSIF •

Are School Closures Ruining Our Children's Mental Health? —

Of those, 26% reported that they were unable to access mental health support; peer support groups and face-to-face services due to the pandemic. The study involved 2111 participants but indicates the alarming scale of the mental health crisis young people are facing due to the closure of our schools.

Traditional mental health support provided in schools have now been swapped with phone or online methods - which have been “challenging for some young people”, according to YoungMinds.

What’s perh
WeAreASSIF •

Racist Mental Health Act Finally Overhauled —

Although cautiously optimistic, Helen Moulinos - CEO of POhWER, an Independent UK Mental Health Advocacy - voices her concern over the clarity of some points in the revised act.

In particular, she argues that the revision needs more investigative oversight for non-natural deaths in a mental health setting, more work to understand discrimination in how the Act is applied and more charity funding. She also called for clearer safeguards for patients being treated informally with consent.

Currentl
WeAreASSIF •

University Of Manchester "In Denial" About Their Inadequate Mental Health Service —

“In my second year, I was struggling with attendance and was feeling pretty alienated at University. Following an attendance hearing, which was my first and only warning from the University that they were paying attention, I was advised to seek help from Disability and Support Services at the University of Manchester.”

Jordan continued: “In my halls, at the end of the first year, I intentionally overdosed and spent four days in the hospital, with two days in intensive care. I submitted my docum
The surprising life of Bob Ross prior to ‘The Joy of Painting’ •

The surprising life of Bob Ross prior to ‘The Joy of Painting’

If you tuned in to the BBC when the pandemic hit in March 2020, you might’ve come across a man with an impeccable perm, narrating softly while painting a serene Alaskan mountain range—a place you probably wished you were when trapped in the confines of your living room. That man is Bob Ross—arguably the most iconic, and definitely the most recognisable, painter of the late 1900s.

Thanks to becoming somewhat of a meme on Twitch, the man has gained rapid internet popularity from his show The Joy
Alpacas prefer classical music. Here’s how it could save their lives •

Alpacas prefer classical music. Here’s how it could save their lives

You’ve heard of emotional support animals from dogs to cats and even parrots, but what about alpacas? Introduced to the UK in the 1990s—the era of MTV, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and grunge music—the fluffy creatures, native to South America, have since sprung up in farms across the nation. Now, there are 45,000 alpacas in the UK. Not only are they kept for their wool, breeding and trekking, but they’re also used for mindful activities such as yoga.

However, despite their rapid rise in popularity o
Cryptocurrency is destroying our planet. Can it be stopped? •

Cryptocurrency is destroying our planet. Can it be stopped?

Let’s play a game: what do you reckon the energy Bitcoin mining requires is equivalent to in only a year? London’s yearly energy consumption? Higher. The Netherlands’? Higher. Okay, how about Argentina’s? Higher. The energy used to mine and distribute Bitcoin consumes 121.36 Terawatt-hour (TWh) per year. That’s above the entirety of Argentina, 121 TWh per year—and it’s catching up with Norway too, which consumes 122.20 TWh per year.

If that’s boggled your mind, trust me, it took me a while to g
Instagram unveils new monetisation features for micro-influencers •

Instagram unveils new monetisation features for micro-influencers

Mark Zuckerberg is known by the internet as being anything other than human. However, on Tuesday 27 April, the very man who holds the key to our data and arguably how we function as a society has shown signs of humility, announcing a set of new Instagram features. These tools could allow smaller businesses and content creators to be rewarded fairly for their work, allowing brands to collaborate outside of the sphere of influencers who have followings in the millions.

What are the announced Inst