Published on: November 26, 2024
Changing Lives visited the Sikh community in Derby to talk to young people about how to break down barriers to accessing mental health support.
Mel Johnson, Equalities and Engagement Officer at Compass Changing Lives, was invited to the Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurdwara in Derby to talk to the children and young people there. The visit was organised with Ranjit Johal, a Supervising Practitioner from Compass Birmingham.
A Gurdwara is a Sikh temple, where people of the Sikh faith can meet and worship. There are a number in Derby, and of them Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurdwara is the oldest and biggest.
Mel spoke to young people during their Punjabi class, asking them questions about when and how they access mental health support, and what could be done to help them access help earlier.
Most young people there admitted that they would only seek support if their mental health got so bad that it seemed they had no other choice. Their advice to Compass to improve things was as follows:
“Keep talking about Mental Health in schools and community settings until it becomes the most normal thing to talk about and then stigma will become less. Also talk to parents and Carers about mental health so they see that it is ok to talk about it.”
These comments were accompanied by an invitation for Changing Lives to visit the Gurdwara again, this time with another class that includes parents and carers. Mel saw this as a “good opportunity to follow the young people’s advice and start those conversations”.
Across the UK, people from ethnic minority groups, including those with South Asian backgrounds, tend not to access mental health services until their problems are very serious. As a mental health support service that offers support to all children and young people in Derby and Derbyshire, Changing Lives recognises that reaching young people with ethnic minority backgrounds is an important part of their mission.
Community visits, like Mel’s conversations with the Sikh community in Derby, allow Changing Lives to connect with children and young people from all backgrounds and corners of Derby and Derbyshire, and helps Changing Lives know how they can help them best.
Mel had these words about her visit:
“Visiting the Gurdwara to speak with young people gave me an opportunity to listen and learn from them, it was a very special experience, and I can’t wait to return.”
colleges , Derby , Derby and Derbyshire Mental Health Support , Event , wellbeing , whole school approach