Today our co-founder, 19 year old Jade Sutton, was interviewed on BBC Radio about winning the BBC 'Make A Difference Awards'.

Jade won the 'Volunteer' category in 2022 for her work supporting young people's mental health.

The BBC recognised her 7 years of work, visiting hundreds of schools and speaking to over 35,000 young people about mental health. Her assembly presentations and workshop help build mental health resilience in young people, destigmatise mental health and encourage young people to ask for help if they're struggling.

Jade has now gone to university but dedicates every Wednesday to delivering assemblies in schools across the country via Zoom. And has colleagues who have taken over delivering her workshops.

Jade also explained that the YMHF is running groups, which coach the parents and carers of young people struggling with mental health, to better support their child.

You can find out more about our Assemblies and Workshops BY ...

We are delighted to have been funded by North Yard Community Trust to deliver our assemblies and workshops to schools in Plymouth. 

Our hugely successful assemblies and workshops have been designed, developed and delivered by Jade Sutton, aged 19, who has lived experience of struggling with, and recovering from, significant mental health challenges.

To date, Jade has spoken to over 35,000 young people with her powerful messages to destigmatize mental health, build self-esteem and mental health resilience.  

Here is a short documentary made about Jade and her assemblies, called ‘What’s Your Story’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CHYEgLA3jg&t=589s 

 We will be delivering our 'Reach For The Stars' virtual assemblies and our 'What's Your Genius' workshops to schools in Budeaux, Kings Tamerton, Barne Barton, Weston Mill and Keyham.

We can't wait to deliver more mental health support to schools in 2024.

Our work is only...

Zoom Parents Support Programme: Torbay

The programme will support 30 young people in Torbay struggling with mental health, but not qualifying for CAMHs support, by equipping their parents/carers to support their mental and emotional health and healing. 

From lived experience, we have seen the importance of the parent/carer role in a young person's mental health recovery. This early intervention program will address early onset mental health problems in young people, resolving the problems or preventing their escalation within the family unit.

Our parenting programme provides:

 1) Psychoeducation and skills training: guiding parents/carers to support the recovery of a young person suffering with their mental health using our evidence-based clinical intervention.

2) Parental self-care: teaching parents how to care for their own mental and emotional health to best support their child.

3) Navigating statutory support: Coaching parents/carers on how to access the support...

If you're the Mum or Dad of a young person who’s struggling with their mental health, you’ll be painfully aware that the services designed to help your child are buckling under the weight of the number of referrals they’re getting. This means that the burden of supporting your child is very likely being carried by you, perhaps alone. In the UK, the bleak reality of services like the NHS’s CAHMs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) is unbearably long waiting lists and usually only the most serious cases getting accepted. 

So, there’s a good chance you’re feeling panicked, totally exhausted, perhaps even broken. Because while your child’s struggling, your own mental health has probably  taken a back seat. It might feel selfish to think about caring for your own needs while they’re finding things so hard. 

But this article will hopefully convince you that prioritising your own self-care isn’t...

We want to say a huge thank you to the NHS for supporting our Zoom Group for parents of young people struggling with mental health in Torbay.

Thanks to funding from NHS Devon, we are able to advertise this amazing opportunity for parents and carers in Torbay to learn how to better support a child or teen struggling with mental health.

Zoom Parents Support Programme: Torbay

Anxiety, depression, self-harm, and other mental health struggles are on the rise among young people, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent study shows that 1 in 5 children and young people in England aged 8 to 25 had a probable mental disorder in 2023.

As parents, we can be left feeling overwhelmed and helpless, not knowing where to turn for help.

This programme will support 30 parents in Torbay, caring for a child or teen struggling with mental health, but not qualifying for CAMHs support, by equipping their parents/carers to support their mental and emotional health and...

Is your child struggling with their mental health? Are you looking to support your child, but need help and guidance?

Being the parent of a child who is experiencing a mental health crisis is devastating and complex. You are most likely in one of the most painful and difficult periods of your life.

We know how you feel, and want to assure you that you're not alone.

You'll desperately want to do EVERYTHING possible to support your child through this crisis, but there's a strong chance that you are feeling:

• UNPREPARED - with no relevant experience or training
• FROZEN - unsure how to move forward
• DISCONNECTED - from your child who may be unwilling to accept help 
• ANGRY - at how teachers and schools etc have let your child down 
• GUILTY - wondering if you could have prevented this
• FEARFUL - of how this situation could escalate

Most likely, you'll have reached out to your doctor, CAMHS or a healthcare professional to support your child's recovery. You want to help...

Over the last year, we have delivered mental health support to SEN Schools across Devon thanks to the generous support of Northbrook Community Trust. 

Our ‘What’s Your Genius’ workshop is a fun, lively and interactive 2.5-hour session, where young people learn their unique thinking and learning styles (Genius types), gain confidence in their natural strengths, whilst at the same time learning to avoid comparing themselves with others. 

The broader understanding and acceptance of all genius types enables participants to better understand and collaborate with others through teamwork. 

The workshop stimulates participants to explore what they enjoy in life (their passions) and act in service to others to make this world a better place, to find happiness and realise their potential.

By shining a positive light on a young person’s unique strengths and abilities, the workshops aim to increase awareness, acceptance and understanding of neurodiversity,...

Trigger warning: This article discusses eating disorders and mental health in relation to young people. If you are affected by anything in this post, please refer to our free resources listed at the end of this article.

According to a 2023 study, there has been a large rise in eating disorder diagnoses and self-harm episodes amongst teenage girls in the UK in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Pearl Mok from The University of Manchester explains that “the reasons for the increase in eating disorder diagnoses and self-harm episodes amongst teenage girls during the pandemic are likely to be complex and could be due to a mixture of issues such as social isolation, anxiety resulting from changing routines, disruption in education, unhealthy social media influences, and increased clinical awareness.”

As a parent, it can be worrying to think that you may have missed the signs of an eating disorder. It is common for parents not to recognise the signs, especially...

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US 

Did you know that every time you shop online, you can raise donations for the Youth Mental Health Foundation at no extra cost?

Whether you’re doing your weekly food shop, booking a holiday, or buying someone special a Valentine’s Day gift, you can fundraise to support young people’s mental health.

All you need to do is create a free account with EasyFundraising. Every time you shop, brands will donate part of what you spend to a cause of your choice. The best part is - it won't cost you anything extra. The cost is covered by the brand.

To learn how to turn your online shopping into donations, watch our step-by-step video on how to use EasyFundraising. If you shop on your phone, EasyFundraising also has a free app.

Create your free account today and see how much you can raise to support young people and families struggling with mental health: ...