Do you ever wish you could let it all out and, just, yell? That’s exactly how 26-year-old Mona Sharif felt when she put out a casual call-out on social media for a London scream club, searching for a few fellow screamers to join her in a cathartic yell. She was inspired by a video she saw about a “Scream Club” in Minnesota. “I made a quick video saying how much London needs one,” she tells us. “Personally, I’ve had a year. Leaving a toxic job, friendship break-ups, career crisis, a non-existent love life, and the geopolitical and economic state of the world right immediately. I needed to scream.” She was shocked to find that over 600 other Londoners turned up to Primrose Hill to scream with her.
“I was completely unprepared for what was about to unfold and what initially started off as a personal side quest to let off some pent-up steam, turned into a mosh pit of pure screaming joy,” she says. “And immediately there are videos of me looking like a cult leader for mad women are scattered across TikTok, people calling me the Scream Queen.” Since her first scream meet-up, Sharif has made the London scream club official, dubbing it the London Scream Squad. Hundreds of people turn up to join Mona in mass yellathon. Apparently, we are all seeking an emotional, even a physical, release. And while hundreds of people yelling in a park may seem a bit OTT, for Mona and her fellow screamers, it has proven to be surprisingly helpful for their mental health.
“When I spoke to the people who attended their reasons aligned with the themes I
mentioned above: career, love life, university, the rising cost of living, climate crisis, global
political unrest,” Mona says. “There is a lot of unease in the city, and world for that matter. And the
number attendees reflects that.”
For Mona, screaming in public with a bunch of strangers felt “euphoric,” “liberating” and “radical.” After all, we may all want to scream, but doing it alone feels downright dangerous. “By doing this as a collective, it removes the embarrassment of letting loose,” she says. “You adopt the ‘who cares’ mindset. Scream like nobody is watching, expect everyone is watching and they are screaming with you.”
It also acted as an icebreaker and an instant antidote to loneliness, which is an all-too common problem in London.
“Many people coming to live here, express how lonely the city can be and how difficult it is to
integrate and find likeminded friends,” she says. “So many people approached me thanking me, saying that they came alone and immediately leaving with people they met at the event. My inbox is flooded with people asking for more events, saying they slept so well after, that they were on cloud 9, that their love for London was restored.”
Since the first London Scream Squad event on October 10, Mona has been trying to turn her viral moment into an ongoing group event.
“I’ve reached out to Mental Health charities and organisations in the UK to partner up with
the Official London Scream Club to get people talking about mental health and the benefits
of community,” she says. “As mentioned above, I am of Iraqi heritage and there is still immense stigma around talking about mental health and personal daily struggles. One of the most famous mental health campaign quotes is, ‘It’s okay to not be okay’. And with the added aspect of shame, it’s clear that many people don’t feel that ’it’s okay to not be okay.’ So, by adopting an unserious
tactic like group scream clubs, I hope we can be a part of the larger anti-stigma alliance.”
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