00:00 A new exhibition sharing stories of hope and connection has arrived in Manchester city centre.
00:06 Rise Stories of Healing and Hope is a week-long audiovisual exhibition
00:11 which launched in St Anne's Square on Wednesday the 20th of September.
00:15 The display has been presented by Manchester Institute of Health and Performance
00:20 and created by the Spoken Stories company, Heard Storytelling.
00:24 Nine individuals who have risen above adversity share their deeply personal stories
00:29 told in their own words which are available to listen to through QR codes and on the website.
00:34 The exhibition uses photographs and audio to provide a glimpse into how these individuals
00:40 navigated obstacles along their paths towards recovery.
00:43 So the exhibition really is a celebration, it's a celebration of how people come together,
00:49 get strength from each other and connect all in the journey of recovery.
00:54 People have different versions of recovery and what that means
00:58 but really shared experience can make all the difference in terms of hope and that motivation to keep going.
01:04 All of these people have in some way been had their health impacted either through a long-term condition,
01:11 things like trauma, road traffic accidents, we've even got a bomb victim in here as well.
01:17 So they've all been impacted in some way and their quality of life has been affected
01:21 and what we do know is that rehabilitation through movement,
01:24 through professional support can make the difference
01:27 but what these stories really celebrate is actually when these people come together
01:32 and share they can be a great motivation for each other.
01:36 My story is about my battle with Covid. I've had Covid eight times.
01:43 The first time was in March 2020 when there wasn't any testing
01:46 but the second time in July 21 is when I really struggled.
01:50 Started to do some research online and came across the Long Covid Rehab Programme
01:57 through MIP and Nuffield Health.
01:59 There are still a lot of people out there that are struggling with Long Covid.
02:03 Still so little is known about it, there isn't a cure as such
02:07 and when I was at my lowest point I thought I couldn't find answers anywhere.
02:12 I felt like I had no hope and no avenues to explore so when I found this and it actually helped.
02:19 I had that hope again. I got to meet other people that were in the same situation as me
02:25 and I felt like I wasn't alone anymore.
02:27 In 2011 when I got out of prison and decided I wanted to change my life around
02:31 I decided to start my own youth project up because there was nothing in Beswick where we was.
02:37 Everything had been shut down. It just developed into a bigger thing and it just grew organically.
02:43 We bring kids in and we teach them life skills that are very important from an early age
02:48 that they don't teach in school.
02:49 I've had a few messages off a few of the kids and a few of the parents that we've changed their lives.
02:53 MIP has been a massive part of that.
02:55 Someone said to me, "Johnny, your story is great."
02:57 I'm like, "My story is not great to me, it's just my normal life."
03:01 Someone else's story is there going to be inspiring to me.
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