Movie stills: Richards
Interview: Genualdo Kingsford
An interview with The Ben Raemers Basis co-founder, Rob Mathieson.
For anybody unfamiliar, might you inform us slightly 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 dying had a huge effect on me and our friendship group, however he was additionally dearly cherished by so many individuals all world wide. Seeing how many individuals had been affected by Ben’s passing fuelled a want to attempt to make one thing constructive from one thing so devastating.
The muse goals to help psychological well being throughout the skateboarding neighborhood. We do this in a variety of methods. We make movies overlaying varied points, we ship suicide first help coaching to individuals throughout the skateboarding neighborhood, 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 yr, we additionally ran a counselling pilot mission giving skate boarders entry to free counselling.
We not too long ago handed the fifth anniversary of Ben’s passing. How do you are feeling concerning 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 want for an organisation like us that’s deeply embedded in skateboarding and that has the flexibility to achieve folks that will not be conscious of what’s accessible to them.
How are issues going by way of funding and help?
Good query! For now, we’ve funding that permits us to ship a few of the tasks we expect will make a distinction and help individuals in skateboarding. When it comes to help, we’re at all times overwhelmed by the suggestions we get about our work and the impression it has, and at all times recognize it when somebody contacts us by way of any of our channels to inform us how the inspiration has made a distinction to them and / or their neighborhood.
The SMiLe interview sequence has been an excellent success. What kind of suggestions have you ever obtained, each from viewers and the interviewees themselves?
It’s been actually wonderful to see how the movies have been obtained. I’m nonetheless blown away by the conversations they begin at our screenings. On the first screening, we had an inventory of dummy inquiries to ask the panel in case individuals had 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 way of all of the feedback on our Youtube channel to see how the movies are hopefully serving to individuals. Nick (Jensen) informed me he has had fairly just a few constructive conversations with individuals who reached out to him since his movie got here out. I really want to say a large thanks to everybody who has been a part of the SMiLe sequence. It’s actually courageous for individuals to open up and speak so truthfully.
How did you go about discovering interviewees who had been eager to talk so brazenly about their psychological well being?
The primary movie we made was with Nick. He’s one in every of my greatest mates, which made it simpler to method him with the concept. As I knew him nicely, I already knew a few of the issues we would speak about, however I nonetheless realized a lot from that dialog. The identical with Aaron (Herrington)… I already knew him slightly 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 ultimately or one other.
Is the SMiLe sequence ongoing?
It’s. We’re within the strategy of gathering footage and enhancing one other one proper now, and we’ve a free plan in place to hopefully movie one other this yr.
Inform us concerning the new movie sequence, Feeling Scene.
The purpose of every movie is to go to a metropolis with a few of Ben’s pals, take a look at the native skate scene and ship some suicide first help coaching to native skate boarders whereas additionally highlighting what psychological well being help is already accessible in that space.
What made you decide Cardiff for the primary movie?
Fairly just a few causes. We had already deliberate to run an SFA (suicide first help) Lite coaching session at Spit & Sawdust, and since they had been so engaged with our mission and had proven curiosity already, we thought it was the suitable factor to do. Chris Jones joined our board of trustees this yr, 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 should gamble with the climate; an indoor venue was a sensible alternative 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 concept. 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 have interaction with us in several methods. We had been additionally capable of get a load of prizes (footwear, T-shirts and boards), and that meant we might attain the youthful skaters who couldn’t attend the suicide first help coaching, which is 16+.
Nick Richards, who has robust 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 data concerning the Cardiff skate scene basically, so he was tremendous useful with the interviews and gathering archive footage. Massive because of 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 nicely. It was a pilot, so we actually had no concept the way it was going to go, however the turnout was wonderful and we had such weekend. I need to say a large 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. Another huge 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 sequence?
Now we have a few different locations pencilled in in the intervening time. There will probably be yet one more earlier than the tip of summer time. We’re tremendous proud of how the Cardiff shoot went, so we’ve gone straight into planning the subsequent one.
Inform us extra concerning the Basis’s suicide first help coaching.
Susie (Crome, The Ben Raemers Basis co-founder) really 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 nicely set out and actually efficient. It offers learners the prospect to have a protected dialog a few topic that’s not often spoken about so straight, and supplies instruments to have the ability to do that. We additionally supply this coaching free on-line. If anybody studying that is serious about collaborating, they will keep watch over our Instagram and web site.
The Basis has been a staple at UK occasions these days. Are you able to inform us about that facet of its work?
It’s wonderful. Being a staple at occasions contributes to our destigmatization purpose by way of normalising the dialog about psychological well being. The purpose is to help these occasions by offering as a lot psychological well being messaging or coaching for organisers as potential.
Apart from the Feeling Scene sequence, what does the Basis have deliberate for the remainder of 2024?
We’ve simply completed a whole redesign of our web site, so hopefully it now has much more to supply and supplies higher entry to help. We will probably be relaunching the counselling mission, which is able to give extra individuals entry to free counselling. We will probably be current at extra occasions, each within the UK and overseas. We’re engaged on an impression analysis – we need to hear tales from individuals who have been impacted by our work – and we’re in search of a long-term sponsor or accomplice. Lastly, we hold getting requested for the Ben T-shirts, so we will probably be doing one other run of these as quickly as we are able to.
How can individuals help the work of the Basis?
Take a look on the fundraising pack on our web site. We all know that individuals really feel good if they can 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 have got 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 might be there to help individuals: GPs, hospitals and help traces akin to Papyrus, Samaritans and CALM, that are all accessible within the UK. Yow will discover hyperlinks to international helplines on our web site.
You possibly can watch Feeling Scene – Cardiff, UK right here.