Young people in Perthshire have been getting daily ‘check-ins’ from leading local mental health charities and meeting ‘ambassadors’ who are from their own age group.
The Lighthouse for Perth and Mindspace have been working with Crieff High School and Kinross High, as part of Children’s Mental Health Week (February 6-12).
With a growing demand among the under 20s, the Lighthouse estimates 40-plus local young people a week are in contact requiring someone to talk to.
Sharon Thomas (pictured), operations manager at The Lighthouse, described how raising awareness of mental wellbeing means communicating through the digital devices that occupy much of teenage life: “For Children’s Mental Health Week we are using our social media with daily posts to help raise awareness around the issue, more important now than ever with the increase in mental health referrals as a result of COVID, isolation and lockdowns.
“On average we are providing on-going support to 40+ kids a week. Kids have really been adversely affected by the last two years and their whole way of life has been turned up-side-down.
“I know we have all been through COVID, but two years out of my life is a small percentage compared with two years out of a teenager’s life.
“In saying that, I have been humbled by the resilience our young people have shown - they really are amazing.”
Sharon told the PA outreach to youngsters is a key area for her organisation.
She said: “We now have a presence in all statutory schools in Perth and Kinross and are currently also providing support to our non-statutory schools, with outreach being delivered in those schools which are not city centre based.
“We have now started to roll out our Mental Health Ambassador Programme within the schools. Crieff and Kinross High Schools are up and running, with Perth High training for 25 ambassadors scheduled for this Friday.
“Other schools will follow, with Blairgowrie already looking to get on board.
“Kids will talk to each other before they will talk to an adult and we have already saw immediate results from this at Kinross High where the ambassadors have been able to help signpost students needing support.
Both groups of ambassadors provide regular lunch time drop-in sessions at school to provide information and signposting for anyone needing support and also run other activities to raise awareness and tackle the stigma around talking about mental health; both schools have been amazing, we are so proud of their commitment and effort.”
Crieff High Ambassadors were on Radio Earn on Wednesday, talking about Children’s Mental Health Week and promoting ‘Growing Together’ which is this year’s theme.
