Movie stills: Richards
Interview: Genualdo Kingsford
An interview with The Ben Raemers Basis co-founder, Rob Mathieson.
For anybody unfamiliar, might you inform us just a little about The Ben Raemers Basis, its goals and the assorted actions it’s concerned in?
The Ben Raemers Basis was arrange in 2019 after Ben Raemers tragically died by suicide. Ben’s loss of life had a big impact on me and our friendship group, however he was additionally dearly liked by so many individuals all around the globe. Seeing how many individuals have been affected by Ben’s passing fuelled a need to attempt to make one thing constructive from one thing so devastating.
The inspiration goals to assist psychological well being throughout the skateboarding group. We do this in quite a few methods. We make movies masking numerous points, we ship suicide first assist coaching to individuals throughout the skateboarding group, and we share as a lot useful data as we are able to on our web site and social media. We placed on and attend occasions, and collaborate with manufacturers to assist begin conversations to unfold consciousness. This 12 months, we additionally ran a counselling pilot venture giving skate boarders entry to free counselling.
We lately handed the fifth anniversary of Ben’s passing. How do you are feeling in regards to the achievements of the Basis because it was launched again in October 2019?
Personally, I’m so proud that we’re nonetheless going. This reveals that there’s each a necessity and a need for an organisation like us that’s deeply embedded in skateboarding and that has the flexibility to achieve those who might not be conscious of what’s obtainable to them.
How are issues going when it comes to funding and assist?
Good query! For now, we now have funding that permits us to ship a few of the tasks we predict will make a distinction and assist individuals in skateboarding. By way of assist, we’re at all times overwhelmed by the suggestions we get about our work and the impression it has, and at all times respect it when somebody contacts us by means of any of our channels to inform us how the muse has made a distinction to them and / or their group.
The SMiLe interview collection has been an ideal success. What kind of suggestions have you ever acquired, each from viewers and the interviewees themselves?
It’s been actually wonderful to see how the movies have been acquired. I’m nonetheless blown away by the conversations they begin at our screenings. On the first screening, we had a listing of dummy inquiries to ask the panel in case individuals have been shy. We’ve by no means had to make use of them. At every screening, as soon as one particular person begins speaking, everybody begins to share. We’ve overrun our reserving at each venue we’ve been to.
It’s additionally nice to learn by means of all of the feedback on our Youtube channel to see how the movies are hopefully serving to individuals. Nick (Jensen) advised me he has had fairly a number of constructive conversations with individuals who reached out to him since his movie got here out. I actually need to say an enormous thanks to everybody who has been a part of the SMiLe collection. It’s actually courageous for individuals to open up and discuss so actually.
How did you go about discovering interviewees who have been eager to talk so overtly about their psychological well being?
The primary movie we made was with Nick. He’s one in all my finest mates, which made it simpler to strategy him with the thought. As I knew him effectively, I already knew a few of the issues we’d discuss about, however I nonetheless realized a lot from that dialog. The identical with Aaron (Herrington)… I already knew him just a little bit and I knew he was mates with Ben. Everybody I’ve reached out to thus far has already been outspoken about their very own experiences not directly or one other.
Is the SMiLe collection ongoing?
It’s. We’re within the strategy of gathering footage and enhancing one other one proper now, and we now have a unfastened plan in place to hopefully movie one other this 12 months.
Inform us in regards to the new movie collection, Feeling Scene.
The goal of every movie is to go to a metropolis with a few of Ben’s buddies, take a look at the native skate scene and ship some suicide first assist coaching to native skate boarders whereas additionally highlighting what psychological well being assist is already obtainable in that space.
What made you decide Cardiff for the primary movie?
Fairly a number of causes. We had already deliberate to run an SFA (suicide first assist) Lite coaching session at Spit & Sawdust, and since they have been so engaged with our mission and had proven curiosity already, we thought it was the proper factor to do. Chris Jones joined our board of trustees this 12 months, and clearly he has an enormous connection to the scene there. I skated in Cardiff many moons in the past, and knew there have been a great deal of enjoyable spots there. Working with Spit & Sawdust additionally meant we didn’t need to gamble with the climate; an indoor venue was a clever selection for the primary occasion.
The movie was shot over a weekend, which included a skate jam / demo with visiting execs at Spit & Sawdust. Is the plan to include one thing related with every manufacturing?
Yeah, that’s the thought. A skate jam is a good way to get everybody from the native scene collectively having enjoyable in a single place. It additionally lets us have totally different generations of skaters come collectively and interact with us in several methods. We have been additionally capable of get a load of prizes (sneakers, T-shirts and boards), and that meant we might attain the youthful skaters who couldn’t attend the suicide first assist coaching, which is 16+.
Nick Richards, who has sturdy hyperlinks to the Cardiff scene, made the primary movie. Is the plan to work with a filmmaker linked to every metropolis for future movies?
Ideally. Having Nick was nice. If we’re attempting to take a look at the native skate scene, it’s clearly essential to have somebody with us who is aware of it. Nick filmed, took us to spots, confirmed us the place to get breakfast and launched us to native skaters. He additionally has a wealth of information in regards to the Cardiff skate scene normally, so he was tremendous useful with the interviews and accumulating archive footage. Large due to Nick!
What reminiscences from the weekend in Cardiff stand out?
Watching Dykie’s Sinéad O’Connor efficiency in Now! That’s What I Name Skateboarding, which I’m ashamed to confess I hadn’t seen earlier than. Search that out on Youtube. The entire weekend went so effectively. It was a pilot, so we actually had no thought the way it was going to go, however the turnout was wonderful and we had such a superb weekend. I wish to say an enormous thanks to Christian (Hart) and everybody else at Spit & Sawdust. That place is wonderful! Thanks to Trix (Mike Ridout) at CSC and everybody who got here down on the day. Yet one more large thanks to Chris Jones, Barney Web page, Jamie Platt, James Cruickshank and Brian Delatorre for coming skating with us and ripping the jam, too.
The place else would you want to go to for the collection?
We have now a few different locations pencilled in in the intervening time. There can be yet another earlier than the top of summer time. We’re tremendous proud of how the Cardiff shoot went, so we now have gone straight into planning the following one.
Inform us extra in regards to the Basis’s suicide first assist coaching.
Susie (Crome, The Ben Raemers Basis co-founder) truly skilled and is now certified to ship the SFA Lite course, so we’re capable of ship this ourselves now, which makes it a lot simpler to arrange and organise. The course is effectively set out and actually efficient. It offers learners the prospect to have a protected dialog a couple of topic that isn’t normally spoken about so instantly, and offers instruments to have the ability to do that. We additionally provide this coaching free on-line. If anybody studying that is desirous about collaborating, they will control our Instagram and web site.
The Basis has been a staple at UK occasions recently. Are you able to inform us about that facet of its work?
It’s wonderful. Being a staple at occasions contributes to our destigmatization goal by means of normalising the dialog about psychological well being. The goal is to assist these occasions by offering as a lot psychological well being messaging or coaching for organisers as attainable.
Except for the Feeling Scene collection, what does the Basis have deliberate for the remainder of 2024?
We’ve simply completed an entire redesign of our web site, so hopefully it now has much more to supply and offers higher entry to assist. We can be relaunching the counselling venture, which is able to give extra individuals entry to free counselling. We can be current at extra occasions, each within the UK and overseas. We’re engaged on an impression analysis – we wish to hear tales from individuals who have been impacted by our work – and we’re searching for a long-term sponsor or companion. Lastly, we preserve getting requested for the Ben T-shirts, so we can be doing one other run of these as quickly as we are able to.
How can individuals assist the work of the Basis?
Take a look on the fundraising pack on our web site. We all know that folks really feel good if they’re able to give again, and organising a little bit of local people motion not solely helps us financially, it additionally makes everybody concerned really feel good! Additionally, sharing our content material helps massively, whether or not it’s movies on our Youtube web page or data we share on Instagram. The extra these items are shared, the extra individuals can see them and the extra consciousness we are able to create.
Lastly, do you will have any recommendation for anybody in disaster, or anybody near somebody in disaster?
In an emergency the place somebody’s security is in danger, name emergency companies or a disaster group. Please contact sources which are there to assist individuals: GPs, hospitals and assist traces reminiscent of Papyrus, Samaritans and CALM, that are all obtainable within the UK. You could find hyperlinks to world helplines on our web site.
You’ll be able to watch Feeling Scene – Cardiff, UK right here.
