Young people and mental health

YoungMinds has launched a YoungMinds Vs, a campaign calling for a mass movement of change in children and young people’s mental health.

The campaign, supported by singer Frankie Sandford from the Saturdays and Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband, follows a poll by the charity that revealed that young people are growing up in a toxic climate and that top five most important issues to young people were sexual pressures, bullying, school stress, access to counselling and unemployment.

The charity will be running five mini campaigns under the over-arching aim to improve children and young people’s mental health, including:

  • YoungMinds Vs Sexed up
  • YoungMinds Vs Bullying
  • YoungMinds Vs No Work
  • YoungMinds Vs School Stress; and
  • YoungMinds Vs No Help.

As part of the campaign:

  • A young activists network will be formed and participants will deliver training to healthcare and childcare professionals and run local mental health task groups;
  • Young people will be given the opportunity to directly influence local structures and influence how mental health services are run; and
  • Hundreds of Young Media Champions will lead the campaign’s media and online campaign work galvanising the voice of children and young people seeking change.

To get involved in the campaign, which is being funded by The Big Lottery fund from its Reaching Communities programme and Comic Relief, visit www.youngmindsvs.org.uk or email YMcampaigns@youngminds.org.uk.

Separately to the campaign, Young Minds has also produced an information pack to provide a basic introduction to mental wellbeing and mental health problems before considering mental health problems in children and young people with learning disabilities in more depth.

For further information visit www.youngminds.org.uk/training_services/bond_voluntary_sector/resources/voluntary_and_community_organisations/1775_children_young_people_with_learning_disabilities.

The Prince's Trust Macquarie Youth Index, based on interviews with 2,161 16 to 25-year-olds, has found that 40 percent of young people have experienced mental ill health, including suicidal thoughts, feelings of self-loathing and panic attacks, as a direct result of unemployment.

For further information and to download the index visit www.princes-trust.org.uk/about_the_trust/what_we_do/research/youth_index_2014.aspx.

And finally, ChildLine has published Can I Tell You Something?, which shows a sharp increase in contacts to the service from children and young people affected by online bullying, self-harm and suicide.

For further information visit www.nspcc.org.uk/news-and-views/media-centre/press-releases/2014/childline-report/bullying-self-harm-suicide-increases_wdn100346.html.

To download the report visit www.nspcc.org.uk/news-and-views/media-centre/press-releases/2014/childline-report/childline-report_can-i-tell-you-something_wdf100354.pdf.