The Rez

The Rez is an ongoing children’s combined media and mental-health project that is run through the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton. Its first iteration (entitled The Rez) received a grant for £8 5,000 from Arts Council England in December 2019. The project combines the work of artists, writers (including former Comic Book Laureate, and recently engaged University of Brighton lecturer, Hannah Berry), musicians, and actors working with psychologists including the University of Sussex’s Professor of Kindness Robin Banerjee and their Professor of Podcasting Martin Spinelli, and the University of Brighton’s Dr. Mark Wright. Together they have created stories that engage children through humour, and adventure while embedding positive mental health and pro-social messaging (the issues addressed include loneliness, the meaning of friendship, bullying, and the value of kindness).