FOLLOWING BORUCH's underlying thematic issues of recovery and the mental disorder stigma, especially in the Orthodox Jewish community, will be the focus of the outreach/activism campaign. Boruch's personal experience will act as the basis and outline for discussing critical issues such as:
As Boruch's story of mental illness and addiction unravels in the film, these topics will bebrought to a palpable platform through Boruch's experience rather than being proposed by anobjective "expert." This is a subjective film that will educate audiences through a experiential process rather than a general critique of mental health.
As a part of the campaign the film will be screened at film festivals, including all major filmand documentary festivals (IDFA, Hot Docs, Silver Docs etc.) as well as niche festivals that focus on themes of spirituality and disabilities, Jewish community centers, and high schools and university outreach.
In the second part of the outreach campaign, we hope to work closely with mental health advocacy organizations, such as NIMH (National Institute for Mental Health) and Fountain House to use Boruch's story of recovery to engage and inspire others in similar situations. Boruch's longitudinal journey of recovery will also serve as a unique and powerful educational tool for mental health professionals, allowing their students to become active witnesses to a visual "real life" study of addiction and mental illness recovery as it unfolds. In addition to the film itself, we will make large segments of Boruch's therapy sessions that are not included in the film available to mental health organizations, and mental health peer advocacy community centers and blogs to also be used as educational tools.
The FOLLOWING BORUCH outreach campaign goes beyond the film. During our year of filming, Boruch experiences many ups and downs, especially with his job search. The process was challenging and frustrating, even with the wonderful assistance from Ohel Family Services provided. The bottom line is that in this economic climate it is hard for everyone to find work, but think of how difficult it must be for an individual struggling with mental illness and a history of addiction. It's nearly impossible.
Using Boruch's singular process as a springboard, our goal is to organize a community-wide job fair that will bring the employers to the mental health population. We see this as a win win situation for both sides. Employers can receive government subsidiaries for hiring individuals with disabilities and, additionally, the mental health community might be willing to work more flexibly than the average employee. While, individuals with mental disabilities will be able to hold a job and earn an income, immensely deepening the quality of their lives. Unlike applying for a job the conventional way, mentally ill individuals will not have to hide their challenges and cover up holes in their resumes - their condition will be a part of their credentials. This plan is still very much a work in progress but the idea has been planted. We are in the process of forming strategic partnerships with mental health advocacy groups to make this happen. The project will start in Borough Park and will then spread to other communities.