Category: Young People’s Mental Health

Our young people’s programmes, Bloom and Your Resilience have always been run with the mindset that young people’s voices and experiences need to be at the forefront in developing and delivering our workshops.

According to YMCA youth every region of England has each seen funding for youth services cut by more than 60% since 2010. These cuts mean there are less and less safe spaces where young people can go to, receive support and come together. Having a safe space is fundamental to the delivery of our Young People’s programmes, especially outside of the school environment. We undertake our supportive programmes in numerous settings and this summer we had the pleasure of delivering Your Resilience to the National Citizen Service (NCS) residential experience camps.

Like many parents, I was looking forward to my children returning to school after the long summer holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and love spending time with them. However, for the optimum balance of a happy home environment and my ability to do my job, a return to school was the order of the day. My kids too needed to get back into the daily schedule school brings; the social engagement of seeing all their friends again is a hugely positive thing and obviously they need to learn.

Alongside our popular Bloom and Your Resilience programmes, we have today launched a new innovative pilot programme called Me & Money, which encourages and empowers young people to explore and understand the interconnection between money and mental health.

The cost-of-living crisis has undoubtably had an impact on the majority of us to a greater or lesser extent. Whilst financial concerns have been ever-present throughout the crisis, there has also been an erosive effect on people’s mental health.

Bloom, Mental Health UK’s programme for young people, is now being used by Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) in England.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents hoped the days of remote learning were behind them and their children. However, recent news that over 100 schools have been forced to suddenly close due to safety fears over concrete has forced some pupils in England and Wales to start their school terms online or in temporary facilities.  

UCL Dance Society decided to dedicate their annual ‘Blooms’ performance to explore the theme of mental health in their show aptly named ‘Breathe’. We spoke to Alkistis who explained why, as young adults, mental health is high on the society’s radar, and how the cast used movement to convey emotions and thoughts.

Following an Ofsted inspection in March 2022, Northampton International Academy in England decided to enhance their students’ wellbeing and personal development through Bloom.