Fragments - Maura Pierlot

FRAGMENTS - Journeys from Isolation to Connection

I feel like I'm a piece, a fragment that's missing all the good bits, but I don't know where to find the rest ... the parts I need to work properly. I bet they wouldn't fit anyway. (Lexy, age 17)

Eight young people navigating high school and beyond, each struggling to hold on - to family, to friends, to a piece of themselves. Perhaps you know them. The bubbly girl who keeps telling you she's okay. The high achiever who's suddenly so intense. The young teen obsessed with social media. The boy challenged by communication. Every single day they, and others, are working hard to keep it together. So hard, they don't see their friends are struggling, too. Through eight imagined stories, Fragments moves from a place of disconnection to connectedness.

The action of Fragments takes place in the minds and hearts of an ordinary group of young people. Their stories encompass anxiety, depression, neurodivergence, gender dysphoria, social media, bullying, family dysfunction, cross-cultural diversity and more, culminating in a sense of hope. Although set in Australia, their stories could take place anywhere.

From the Playwright: Rarely presenting as neat packages, mental health issues often involve feelings and behaviours with jagged edges and blurred origins. Fragments embodies the theme that stress at home, at school and in life is challenging young people beyond their usual coping abilities, leaving them disenfranchised and vulnerable. So much of adolescent life is spent looking inwards that it's perhaps not surprising that mental health issues are often internalised. I wrote Fragments to start a conversation. It's only when we speak openly about mental health issues - without fear or judgment - that we can chip away at the stigma that prevents many people from seeking help. It is my hope that the work will find its way into schools in Australia and overseas. The publication includes a comprehensive Study Guide, detailing activities and curriculum links for English, Drama/Arts, Health ' PE, Civics and more.

A powerful and timely mental health resource for young people and their families. Essential reading for high school.