Peer-to-peer support for youth mental health today and every day
Youth Mental Health Day, Tuesday 19 September, encourages understanding and discussion of mental health in young people, enabling them to live happy and healthy lives all year round.
Each year, the awareness day aims to get young people, and those who support them, talking about how to improve mental health, combat the stigma surrounding anxiety and mental health and highlight the importance of early intervention in teenage mental health issues.
Across East Berkshire, Frimley ICB has been working on a successful Young Health Champions programme, an exciting opportunity for young people to learn about health, mental health and wellbeing and communicate key messages to their peers.
The peer education project is delivered in Slough and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead by Slough-based youth charity Together As One, and by the public health team in Bracknell Forest.
Participants aged 14 to 24 years complete a Level 2 ‘Young Health Champions’ qualification which is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health and can be a springboard to careers in health and care.
The programme also aims to increase young people’s confidence, by empowering them with knowledge about their community, support groups and where to access health advice. The programme’s students work on skills to deliver presentations, mentor their peers and develop a health promotion campaign that they are passionate about.
They take part in a weekend residential or after school sessions to bring young people together, foster effective teamwork and complete the first module of the qualification.
As part of the Young Health Champions scheme, 29 young people are currently being trained to be Mental Health Advocates.
Rob Deeks, Chief Executive of Together As One, says: “The Youth Health Champions use their creativity to create health improvement messages and then communicate what they have learned to their peers. The young people can choose how they deliver their messages - options range from social media campaigns to podcasts and workshops.
"One of the most significant things for me is when we take them into the primary schools to talk to children about health and wellbeing and you can see how well the younger children respond to being spoken to by their peers instead of adults.
“Seeing what they are capable of and the impact they can have on their peers is absolutely amazing.”
For more information, watch this video from the early days of the Young Health Champions project.