Last week was this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week. This awareness week created in 2015 invites schools, parents and youth work organisations to take part in helping to give a voice to vulnerable young people to open about their mental health and access to resources/guides to navigate their mental health struggles.
According to a UK Parliament House of Commons Library Survey, it was found in 2023 that 1 in 5 (20%) of children aged 8 to 16 had a probable mental disorder. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the cost-of-living crisis and many other factors such as cyberbullying and home environment have an immense effect on the mental health of young people in the past several years. The theme for this year is “Find your voice”, emphasising the need for an environment where young people can feel safe and secure to find their voice to say what’s on their mind to find if there are resources or solutions to improve their situation.
Outside of school and their homes, youth work spaces such as the YMCA strive to provide young people with an alternative place to discuss or confide any problems they may be going through if they wish. At Paisley YMCA we primarily engage in STEM-related learning, but we also encourage young people to find their voices to speak to our youth workers about any mental health problems they may be experiencing. We asked some of our young people the impact coming to Paisley YMCA each week has on their mental health;
“I feel safe and comfortable in Paisley YMCA, it gives me a break from the world.”
“It’s nice to be around nice folk. Good vibes.”
“I feel like I know where I can go to talk to in Paisley YMCA.”
For this Children’s Mental Health week, we reflect upon the importance of the role of youth workers and youth work spaces to present an alternative space for young people to face no judgement or pressure in finding their voice. We seek to provide a space where young people can either open up about their mental health struggles or simply take some time away from them to decrease the daily stresses and worries in their lives. Whichever they prefer, we consider youth work to be a vital element to further reach the goal of every young person to be able to grow up safe and happy in challenging times.