Protest and Expression Posters
We asked young people to create a protest or expression poster of their choice. Posters focused on racism, including the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement e.g., “Amplify Black voices” and “Black Lives Matter”. Others focused on protecting women and climate change e.g., “Protect Black women” and “Stop climate change”. It was empowering to see the enthusiasm of the young people making the posters.
Helping Young People Thrive
We proposed young people write down changes they would like to see in the future at any level from government, to schools, to mental health support. In groups, young people worked together and put their ideas onto sticky notes and ordered the ones they felt were most important. Key changes included: a reduction in stop and search from the police, more community work (such as REACH), more support for later adolescence, and more free spaces for young people to hang out. |
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Written by Holly Crudgington, PhD Student
Mental health is quite the buzzword today, particularly as we face the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mental health encompasses emotional, behavioural, social, and cognitive wellbeing (1) and we can have good or poor mental health at different points in our lives. It is especially important to consider in young people, as most mental health problems start before the age of 25 (2).
For five years, the Resilience, Ethnicity and Adolescent Mental Health (REACH) team has been tracking the mental health of more than 5000 adolescents in south London. Recent findings from REACH highlight that young people in inner city London have a higher prevalence of mental health problems compared to elsewhere in the UK (18% compared with 14%) (3). However – no one could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption it would cause. As a result, the team collected additional information on the young people taking part in the REACH project, to assess changes in mental health (among other measures), during the pandemic.
In addition to collecting data, REACH provides a platform for young people to speak out, participate in events and contribute to research. My name is Holly – and I am a PhD student working within the REACH team. This blog focuses on my experience at the recent REACH Festival for Young People, an event that aimed to give back to young people in south London, while providing a perspective on the important question: how can we help young people to thrive post pandemic?
For five years, the Resilience, Ethnicity and Adolescent Mental Health (REACH) team has been tracking the mental health of more than 5000 adolescents in south London. Recent findings from REACH highlight that young people in inner city London have a higher prevalence of mental health problems compared to elsewhere in the UK (18% compared with 14%) (3). However – no one could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption it would cause. As a result, the team collected additional information on the young people taking part in the REACH project, to assess changes in mental health (among other measures), during the pandemic.
In addition to collecting data, REACH provides a platform for young people to speak out, participate in events and contribute to research. My name is Holly – and I am a PhD student working within the REACH team. This blog focuses on my experience at the recent REACH Festival for Young People, an event that aimed to give back to young people in south London, while providing a perspective on the important question: how can we help young people to thrive post pandemic?
REACH Festival for Young People
On the 27th of October 2021, REACH held its inaugural Festival for Young People (in collaboration with the BIGKID Foundation Charity, at their home in Dexter’s Adventure Playground, Brixton). The festival, complete with a main stage, was a space where REACH could share research findings and co-facilitate activities with young people. This blog takes a forward-thinking approach and is centred on workshops that focused on post-pandemic mental wellbeing.
Take-Home Messages
REACH’s first Festival for Young People was a collaborative event - it was with young people not just for them. In my opinion, the day was a triumph. It was refreshing to do something different from my usual role as a PhD student and to actively work with young people, who are the focus of my research.
My two key take home messages from the day are:
1. Young people are the experts about their future
It was great to see young people leading workshops and taking an active role in the event, as well as offering their opinions. They put forward some key ideas about what they would like to see changed in their future.
2. An ‘In-person’ event fostered a great atmosphere
Experience of isolation during the pandemic was a recurrent theme throughout the day. The in-person festival fostered a great atmosphere and was well suited for a young audience. The event allowed difficult topics to be presented in an engaging and sociable way.
My two key take home messages from the day are:
1. Young people are the experts about their future
It was great to see young people leading workshops and taking an active role in the event, as well as offering their opinions. They put forward some key ideas about what they would like to see changed in their future.
2. An ‘In-person’ event fostered a great atmosphere
Experience of isolation during the pandemic was a recurrent theme throughout the day. The in-person festival fostered a great atmosphere and was well suited for a young audience. The event allowed difficult topics to be presented in an engaging and sociable way.
What Next?
So – how can we help young people thrive post pandemic? The REACH team, in collaboration with some of the young people that attended the festival, are collating the information and developing future recommendations. However, some key ideas from young people that I picked up on were:
- Easier access to mentoring + positive role models
- Better mental health awareness in schools – for both teachers and young people
- More free and inclusive spaces for young people to socialise
Lastly, there is a lot to learn and take forward from REACH’s inaugural festival. Thanks to all the young people that made the day a success, the REACH team for putting it all together (particularly Jade Morris + Esther Putzgruber), and to The Big Kid Foundation Charity who co-hosted and allowed us to use their space at Dexter’s Adventure Playground in Brixton.
- Easier access to mentoring + positive role models
- Better mental health awareness in schools – for both teachers and young people
- More free and inclusive spaces for young people to socialise
Lastly, there is a lot to learn and take forward from REACH’s inaugural festival. Thanks to all the young people that made the day a success, the REACH team for putting it all together (particularly Jade Morris + Esther Putzgruber), and to The Big Kid Foundation Charity who co-hosted and allowed us to use their space at Dexter’s Adventure Playground in Brixton.
References
(1) World Health Organisation. (2018). Mental health: strengthening our response. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
(2) Kim-Cohen, J., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Harrington, H., Milne, B. J., & Poulton, R. (2003). Prior juvenile diagnoses in adults with mental disorder: developmental follow-back of a prospective-longitudinal cohort. Archives of general psychiatry, 60(7), 709-717. (link)
(3) Knowles, G., Gayer-Anderson, C., Beards, S., Blakey, R., Davis, S., Lowis, K., ... & Schools Working Group. (2021). Mental distress among young people in inner cities: the Resilience, Ethnicity and AdolesCent Mental Health (REACH) study. J Epidemiol Community Health, 75(6), 515-522.
(1) World Health Organisation. (2018). Mental health: strengthening our response. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
(2) Kim-Cohen, J., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Harrington, H., Milne, B. J., & Poulton, R. (2003). Prior juvenile diagnoses in adults with mental disorder: developmental follow-back of a prospective-longitudinal cohort. Archives of general psychiatry, 60(7), 709-717. (link)
(3) Knowles, G., Gayer-Anderson, C., Beards, S., Blakey, R., Davis, S., Lowis, K., ... & Schools Working Group. (2021). Mental distress among young people in inner cities: the Resilience, Ethnicity and AdolesCent Mental Health (REACH) study. J Epidemiol Community Health, 75(6), 515-522.