Published on: October 28, 2024
10th October marked World Mental Health Day, and Changing Lives celebrated in a number of ways across Derby and Derbyshire.
World Mental Health Day (WMHA) is an internationally observed awareness day that aims to normalise conversations of mental health, raise awareness around the need for mental health support, and remove the stigma around asking for help.
WMHA is an opportunity for organisations and individuals to start conversations about mental health and their experiences surrounding it.
As a mental health and emotional wellbeing service that supports children and young people in Derby and Derbyshire, Changing Lives took this opportunity in its stride. One of the ways they did this was by visiting schools around Derbyshire.
Practitioners Natalie and Zoe went to Lady Manners School in Bakewell to talk to young people about evidence based strategies they could use to manage their mental health, in a presentation about World Mental Health Day.
Natalie spoke about the aims of the event:
“We hope by being present and engaging young people we are breaking down the stigma around mental health and also the barriers to accessing services”, adding “we had really positive engagement from pupils and staff.”
World Mental Health Day coincides with “Hello Yellow”, an initiative by youth mental health charity Young Minds. “Hello Yellow” invites participants to where yellow to brighten the days of others, and make them feel less alone in facing emotional challenges.
On the run up to WMHD, Changing Lives went to St John Fisher Catholic School in Alvaston for an assembly about mental health, and introduce the pupils to Hello Yellow. The assembly focused on emotions: the range of positive and negative emotions we can feel, how they can change throughout the day, and how to communicate these emotions to one another.
Chellaston Academy also celebrated WMHD and Hello Yellow, while raising money for Young Minds, in an event they dubbed “Chello Yellow”. Practitioners Sam and Jenny were there to support the event, and spread the word of how Changing Lives can help young people with their emotions.
The event featured a “Chello Yellow” cake, and a number of activities themed around mental health. Students left a range of positive messages, including “Don’t let anyone rain on your parade” and “You are strong. I’m proud of you”.
This year, WMHD had the theme of Workplace Mental Health. This is an issue that is taken very seriously by Compass Changing Lives, and this year they have had a number of initiatives that looked to support and improve staff wellbeing. You can read about some of them here.
WMHD was also observed by colleagues in the Changing Lives offices in Derby and Chesterfield. Admin Team Lead Claire decided to do this by taking her monthly supervisions outside. The team discussed their month while taking a walk in the autumnal scene of a local park, and enjoying a hot drink.
Awareness days like World Mental Health Day allow us to start important conversations about topics like mental health and emotional wellbeing with those who might not have considered it before. But it’s important to remember that mental health affects everyone, and its effects can be felt throughout the year. This is why the support offered by services like Changing Lives to young people are so valuable. If you are interested in finding out more about Compass Changing Lives and the services they provide, head to their homepage here.
colleges , Derby , Derby and Derbyshire Mental Health Support , Event , wellbeing , whole school approach