Elite athlete initiatives in school mental health: crafting an art-based educational methodology for promoting mental health help-seeking

Art-based practices have been expected and incorporated into adolescent mental health education, enhanced by their potential to promote positive psychosocial development and foster resilience. Elite athletes, while encountering similar challenges as adolescents-such as reluctance to seek psychological support-occupy a distinctive position due to their capacity to exert substantial influence on youth. This paper presents the development and conceptualization of a novel, elite athlete-led mental health education framework that employs artistic expression as a core modality. We showed and explained the 'Yowai-wa-Tsuyoi Project' ('Weakness is Strength'), an initiative undertaken in Japan that seeks to harness the personal narratives of elite athletes to effect positive change in adolescents' mental health literacy. By collaborating with the Japan Rugby Players Association and mental health experts, the project integrates art-based interventions to stimulate dialogue on mental health, stress, and overall well-being. By sharing their lived experiences, athletes facilitate art-driven activities wherein students are encouraged to express and reflect upon their mental health experiences. This interdisciplinary initiative aspires to enhance adolescents' understanding of mental health through relatable athlete role models, foster emotional articulation via artistic media, and nurture empathy and collective support for mental well-being. The integration of sports, education, and art in this approach illustrates a potentially transformative model for engaging adolescents in critical discourse surrounding mental health and well-being. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of creating educational environments that embrace vulnerability, expression, and dialogue, thus providing students with the tools and space to address their mental health in a supportive context.