Venerated Voices

Venerated Voices is a project that highlights the unique and often overlooked dynamics of sibling relationships in the context of mental health.

Specifically, our team explored the experiences of siblings who are thrust into the role of caregiver, in order to support their sibling during a mental health crisis. Through video clips, the topic of legal guardianship, lack of parental support, exhaustion and mental health resources are discussed by an anonymous speaker who recounts their personal experiences with this topic. 

The format of the videos resemble a Q&A. The questions asked to our speaker ranged from personal questions such as “When your brother first approached you regarding his mental health struggles, what went through your mind?” to more general questions such as “what are the differences between being a parent versus a sibling when caring for someone who has mental health struggles?” 

The aim of this project is to provide viewers with short digestible video clips that challenge the conventional idea of what a caregiver looks like. We do this in hopes of drawing attention to groups such as siblings, who are often not taught how to care for each other's mental health. Though resources that teach parents how to approach their child’s mental health challenges are sparse, resources for sibling caregivers are even fewer. 

Creators

Madeleine, Victory, & Martin