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Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health

‘In response, I decided to start campaigning to change attitudes
towards mental health. I do this in many ways: sometimes it’s by
sharing information through social media or writing a blog, other
times it’s organising a local event or helping with someone else’s
event in another part of the country. It is very satisfying to see
real time change in people’s attitudes and reactions to mental
health, and I believe that knowledge plays a vital role in people’s
understanding of mental health and how it can impact people
close to them.’

‘I have been lucky to have many conversations over the last year,
with friends, members of the public and fellow Young Champions.
The most inspiring chat was with a concerned teacher, they had
an infectious passion for ensuring that they were doing everything
they could to help their pupils as well as their own children. It
was really reassuring to know that the vast majority of teachers
do care and want to help their students to be mentally well and
succeed, something which I previously doubted due to my own
experiences at school.’

‘I love having the opportunity to speak to people from all walks of
life, young and old, through campaigning about mental health –
it highlights that everyone has a story. If someone isn’t affected
directly by a mental health problem, they often know someone
who does, and providing them with information from Time to
Change can help spark meaningful conversations that can
improve awareness and even save lives. It’s as important as ever
to be talking about mental health and stamping out stigma and
discrimination, and connecting with people is a huge part of that.’

Source: www.time-to-change.org.uk/blog/why-im-campaigning-
change-young-peoples-attitudes-around-mental-health

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