Weez Wall art in Stanley
Parents campaign to prevent youth suicide and destigmatise mental health issues with a community trail walk and street art around Hong Kong Island.
Parents, Tony Bruno and Ann Pearce, experienced every parent’s nightmare when they lost their 15 year old son, Jamie, to suicide in February 2017. They were left distraught and bewildered. How could this happen in our family (our normal everyday family?) What could we have done to have prevented it? They were determined that, from this tragedy, something good had to result, that no more young lives be lost. They founded “Weez Project” to campaign for youth suicide prevention and to raise awareness of mental health issues affecting young people and the adults in their lives. They provided information, such as recognising warning signs, published articles, and explored opportunities and services that could help young people who were struggling to tell others how they felt.
Weez Project is also a legacy to Jamie, a vibrant and creative young man who had a love for graffiti and street stickers, The name Weez was Jamie’s street art “tag”.
2022 Weez Walk 2022 participants
Weez Project’s primary campaign period since 2020 is “Weez Week”, held annually in February. Weez Week is designed to promote awareness, challenge stigma and encourage people to open up and talk about suicide and youth mental health. Believing in the healing power of art for positive mental health, a key feature of Weez Week has been a statement piece of street art on the theme of mental health. The murals were painted by Hong Kong street artists and organised by HKwalls.
In 2021, Tony added to the scope of Weez Week activities by walking the 62km Hong Kong Island Coastal Trail around the perimeter of the island as a fundraiser and to raise awareness about youth mental health, completing the course solo in 13 hours.
The walk and its cause generated enormous interest. Encouraged by this enthusiasm, Tony, with assistance from KELY Support Group, Weez Project’s charity partner, made Weez Walk an organised event. Weez Walk 2022 was opened to all: families, students, companies, sports teams, groups and individuals.
Participating in Weez Walk brings people together, providing space to talk openly about mental health and share feelings. 19 year old Jonathan took part in Weez Walk 2022, walking the full course in one go. As someone who has experienced depression himself, he says, “I personally have a great connection to this cause…… A lot of my close friends are also struggling with mental health issues of varying degrees. It’s very important that we strive to make this a better place and a more open space for kids to seek help.”
“Tooth Paced”, a team of dental students, also joined the Walk, commenting, “Suicide doesn’t simply affect an individual, but ripples through everyone bereaved by it. It’s an issue that can only be tackled by the efforts of an entire community. Together we can make a small but badly needed contribution to this area of youth mental health.”
This is why Weez Project encourages everyone to “Be the one” – to be the person who listens, who cares, who takes action to help prevent youth suicide. The impact of a moment of kindness cannot be underestimated, especially with perceptive, impressionable young people. If everyone connects proactively with the young people around them, we can help prevent crises.
Art will feature big in Weez Walk 2023. As participants follow the coastal trail, they will come across pieces of Weez Art, unique and expressive art installations created in partnership with HKWalls and other individual local artists. These thought-provoking pieces will help encourage reflection and conversation around mental health as participants spot them on the trail. Weez Project is hopeful that, as people talk openly about mental health, the message will spread more broadly into our society.
Weez Walk 2023 takes place from 14 January to 19 February 2023. The Walk can be completed in one go or in mapped stages. Participants can track and log their progress using a dedicated app. Weez Walk welcomes everyone to walk for youth mental health. Participants can do a casual walk in any way they want within the event period, or take up the timed walk challenge to compete for the best times and win awards. This year, a total of ten Weez Art installations have been placed along the route. All inspired by mental health and wellbeing, each piece is a story waiting to be discovered and shared with your friends and family. For locations and details of the art installations goto https://kely.org/events/2023/weez-walk-2023/weez-art-2023
“Together, we will spread positivity and hope to our young.”
Tony and Ann have taken on this work with one single purpose – to create a world where there will be no more tragedies amongst our youth. With every step taken collectively, be it connecting with young people, encouraging openness or spreading hope, suicide is preventable. This is why they ask other people to join their cause.
More about Weez Art: https://kely.org/cnt/events/2023/weez-walk-2023/weez-art-2023
Weez Walk is still open for registration: https://weezwalk2023.sportsoho.com/en/form/enrolment-form
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