Oxfordshire Mind have launched our fundraising appeal, asking for your help to support children and young people’s mental health.
Even before the pandemic, mental health difficulties in children and young people was on the rise. The restrictions have impacted this further due to school closures, disrupted routines, and worries about the future.
The need for services like ours is ever-growing.
How we are supporting children and young people’s mental health
We have adapted and continued to deliver our projects online and in socially distanced settings, where guidelines allowed. Your donation could help to fund:
- Workshops, focussing on resilience, exam stress and body image
- Boxing for Wellbeing courses – a combination of physical activity and wellbeing discussions, including self-care, anxiety, anger, social media and self-esteem, and anger and healthy coping strategies
- One-to-one support to enable children and young people to talk about their situations and feelings, increase their knowledge of mental health and work with them to develop good mental health habits.
How your donation could help
Your gift today could support someone like Ella.
When Ella*, aged 19, was referred to Oxfordshire Mind she was struggling with anxiety, had been bullied at school and used to self-harm. Some days she found the anxiety so over-whelming that she felt unable to cope with her emotions and would leave college in the middle of the day, unable to continue.
Through one-to-one support from an Oxfordshire Mind worker, Ella opened up about her life at home, and the things she had been struggling with. She said that her sessions had been really helping her to manage her emotions and keep on top of her anxiety. By attending regular sessions, she managed to overcome her anxiety and go out with friends, which the anxiety previously prevented her from doing. In turn, this helped to increase her confidence so much she felt able to engage in a new personal relationship which was a huge step for her. Our Oxfordshire Mind worker was able to support Ella with job applications alongside her sessions and in managing the interview process. Recently, Ella has been feeling much less anxiety, more confident and has been able to apply for jobs.
Ella is just one of the many people who needs our support. Three in five young people have experienced a mental health problem or are close to someone who has, and many are waiting over six months to get a referral to see a specialist.
A donation this winter could help give more young people the chance to grow up in a supportive environment where mental health is taken seriously.
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