Introducing: Off The Record
BY SOPHIA FURTADO KOUMIS
FUZE is excited to introduce you to OTR, one of the three charities that we are supporting and raising money for this year.
What started as a counselling service 56 years ago has since evolved into a mental health social movement that offers a wide variety of creative and physical workshops to people aged 11-25, across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
As they realised that young people benefit from a group environment, OTR’s services took on a social focus, offering various activities in group settings - parkour and boxing being on the agenda in the past - all alongside traditional one-to-one counselling. This January saw the launch of a few new projects, including weightlifting, yoga for menstrual cycle support, climbing and dance, as well as the continuation of their book club and their LGBTQ+ networks, to name a few.
These group sessions provide a space to talk with like-minded individuals, and perhaps even help each other, all whilst creating a comfortable environment conducive to initiating discussions around mental health. Topics dealt with include low mood, anxieties, body image, and issues related to race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Crucially, these sessions are free at every point of access.
OTR’s Bristol branch
Upon entering the main OTR centre, it is clear how the team has worked to create an inviting environment for anyone seeking help. The colourful walls remove that clinical feel typically associated with accessing mental health support, and you are met not only by qualified therapists, but youth workers ‘qualified by experience’, as Liam, the Director of Engagement, puts it.
Using the OTR drop-in sessions as an example, he explains that ‘when a young person comes to our Hub, the first people they'll see are other young people’, claiming this to be an integral part of why the people using their services connect with the work OTR is doing.
Liam highly recommends attending one of these drop-in ‘Hubs’, emphasising their usefulness, regardless of whether we think we need them or not. If you don’t consider yourself to be struggling, they can teach you to maintain how you’re feeling, and for those hoping to help someone else, you can learn how to initiate conversations and provide some support, as well as discovering more about what OTR has on offer.
Further elaborating on the youth-led aspect of OTR to us, Liam explains that ‘lots of the sessions are co-facilitated by young people who at one point might have been in them. They know what works and what doesn't, so then they can help shape it into something that's even better.’
As well as this, OTR gives a voice to the people accessing their services, allowing them to choose which activities they take part in, and encouraging them to make any suggestions and recommendations.
‘We always listen to feedback and design our services around what young people tell us that they want.’
Importantly, OTR recognises that, whether for logistical reasons or other, they can’t expect people to reach out to them, so they make sure to enter spaces that young people already occupy, such as schools and universities, and also through their community partnerships, in their effort to reach as many young people as possible.
For those of you now wondering how to get involved and support OTR yourselves, make sure to give them a follow online! They provide tips on their social media, and sharing any of this online content helps them reach a wider audience.
Whilst their summer fundraising skydiving challenge had to come to a halt due to COVID, you can always donate directly to OTR, and the donations page on their website provides tangible examples of how any monetary donations are used. And of course, the money raised from any FUZE 2022 event goes towards our charities OTR, AKT and Black Southwest Network.
If you want to access any of Off the Record’s services yourself, or find out more about the incredible work they are doing, visit their website or check out their Instagram @otrbristol.
