Children’s Mental Health Week 2022
It’s Children’s Mental Health Week, but we still should be looking out for the mental health of young people every week of the year!
About the week
Place2Be launched the first-ever Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015 to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health.
This year’s Children’s Mental Health Week theme is Growing Together. Growing Together is about growing emotionally and finding other ways to help each other develop and evolve. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to mental health, but challenges can help us learn to try new things outside our comfort zone. Mental and emotional growth doesn’t happen overnight, but like anything in life, progress is not always linear and taking steps to improve, no matter how small, is what matters.
According to Place2Be, one in six young people have a diagnosable mental health problem, and many more struggle with all sorts of challenges from bullying to bereavement, which can make attending mainstream education incredibly difficult for some young people.
At Red Balloon, we prioritise the mental health of our young people and encourage them in any way we can. We understand that successful academic learning goes hand in hand with good mental health, and we ensure our students have the wellbeing support they need to learn and progress in all aspects of their lives.
“Red Balloon understands that mental health comes before academic work and attendance. Once that was sorted, my child was able to access learning.” – Red Balloon Parent
Our Focus on Mental Health
Red Balloon has a joint focus on wellbeing, education, and community. Mental health is absolutely a part of wellbeing and is dependent on many factors in a young person’s life.
Because wellbeing is such an integral part of our mission at Red Balloon, we make sure everyone in our organization prioritises the mental health of our young people. Whatever our staff’s roles, from cook to the head of Centre, we are active in supporting the needs of each student.
Growing Together at Red Balloon
Growing Together focuses on how we learn and grow from the people around us. today we’re outlining some of the ways we have helped our young people grow their emotional and mental wellbeing.
- Students are able, and encouraged, to have counselling or therapy as part of their timetable at Red Balloon. Counselling and therapy can help young people with problems they have been facing and encourages them to develop techniques to prepare for and overcome issues they may face in the future.
- Students’ personal development is given the same attention as academic learning. We recognise that feeling comfortable with social and emotional skills (such as talking to strangers, making friends, and travelling independently) is vital for our young people to be equipped for everyday life. We help them develop the skills they need, and want, to feel confident day-to-day and to face new challenges.
- Our Centres are small, making young people feel like they are part of a family. Many of our students have faced problems that their peers can relate to, leading to deep-seated acceptance and understanding. Building strong relationships with others going through similar struggles is a pillar of mental health growth.
- Young people at our Centres are never alone and always have a member of staff they can rely on. Positive wellbeing and mental health become more achievable when students know they are being looked after, whatever they are going through.
- When young people feel like they belong somewhere, they begin to flourish. At Red Balloon, we strive to create an inclusive community where students are comfortable being themselves. Accepting oneself is a key aspect to addressing mental health issues, and we support our students to explore their identity in a safe and non-judgemental environment.
Find out more
If you would like to see other ways to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week, we encourage you to visit Place2Be for more resources.
