Newham youth mental health charity shows clear vision to win national photography competition
Local charity, Ashok’s Vision International, has won the Mental Health Foundation’s national photography competition to find the best community images across the UK, and with it - a £200 prize of vouchers to spend on their organisation which supports youth mental health in Newham.
The initiative for the addition of a ‘Community’ category in its existing Positive Mental Health Image Library came from the Mental Health Foundation ahead of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May), which this year is focused on community.
The Mental Health Foundation sought real-life photographs that reflected the power of community in supporting good mental health. Open to all levels of experience, the charity welcomed submissions from far and wide.
Shofa Miah, Founder of Ashok’s Vision International said of the win: “Our youth leaders at Ashok's Vision International charity, are delighted to have won the Positive Mental Health Image Library competition. The image that we entered for the competition features our Youth Team in Newham, taking part in greening, cleaning and nature activities.
“We have been operating a weekly market outside Forest Gate Station since 2019. For over 6 years, delivering projects for youth in a safe and open environment, connecting young people to nature and community engagement activities.
“You will find us in the market every Saturday between 12-3pm, continuing this great work and taking lovely photographic images capturing youth leaders improving the environment and community spaces.”
The mission of the youth-led charity is to nurture young people to reconnect with nature and engage them in community activities focusing on mental wellbeing. The charity was set up in memory of founder, Shofa Miah's late brother, Ashok Ali, who had a history of mental health challenges and schizophrenia, and sadly died at the age of 29.
Shofa added: “We have engaged thousands of young people and residents of all ages through our projects. We aim to keep Ashok's vision alive through his: love for play, love for nature & love for spirituality.
“We will use the prize vouchers towards a summer party to celebrate all the hard work by the young people -Thank you!”.
Alexa Charnley, Director of Fundraising and Communication at the Mental Health Foundation said: “We wanted to make this competition as accessible as possible; experience and equipment didn’t matter – what we hoped was for images that captured authentic moments and reflected a positive sense of community as we know that being part of a supportive community is essential for mental health, helping people feel safe, valued, and connected.
“The images we see every day help shape the way we think about mental health. Too often, images reinforce negative stereotypes and focus only on poor mental health. By sharing photographs of real moments of connection, resilience, and wellbeing, the Mental Health Foundation hope the Positive Mental Health Image Library can help shift the narrative and promote a more positive and empowering understanding of mental wellbeing.
Alexa continued: “The winning image, along with the 51 shortlisted, have been added to our positive mental health image library and are accessible for all to use and are free of charge.
“Thank you, and well done to Shofa and all at Ashok’s Vision International in helping us communicate and celebrate, the power of our communities in supporting good mental health and wellbeing.”
The Positive Mental Health Image Library is an initiative by the Mental Health Foundation designed to transform the way mental health is portrayed in the media. The library provides a collection of high-quality, positive, and authentic images that depict real people engaging in activities that support their mental wellbeing. By offering these images for free-to-use, the charity hopes to promote a more hopeful and accurate representation of mental health.
The Mental Health Foundation encourages media and other organisations to access the library and help us to present an accurate image of mental health and tackle the stigma still surrounding the topic.
Here you can find out more about our winners, Ashok Vision International visit: Ashok Vision International - Home
The Positive Mental Health Image Library was made possible thanks to funding from Pinterest: Positive mental health image library | Mental Health Foundation