A new initiative, developed by Youth Sport Trust, aimed at improving and preventing mental health issues in young people has been launched by Sport Birmingham in partnership with King Edwards School Sports Partnership and Birmingham School Games Organisers. The Active in Mind project utilises evidence-based strategies to address stress and anxiety in adolescents, equipping them with personal resilience tools. Through a trauma-informed approach and peer mentoring, the program aims to create a supportive environment for young people.
We wanted to provide a support system throughout the project which would help them identify techniques of regulating their emotions, developing resilience and confidence when facing these challenges.
This week, the project kicked off with training sessions at Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club. Participants explored topics such as stress, its impact, coping mechanisms, and the significance of mental wellbeing. Following the training, the young people will have the opportunity to develop their skills, become wellbeing ambassadors, and work on school-based projects throughout the year. A total of 19 secondary schools across Birmingham are participating in the project, involving approximately 190 young people facing various challenges.
Rachael Mackenzie (World Thai Boxing Champion and Youth Sport Trust Athlete Mentor) joined the program on Monday, sharing her inspiring journey of overcoming barriers and building self-esteem. Her talk provided valuable insights and motivation for the young participants. Rachael said she wants to “help young people to navigate the world in a way that feels safer and gives them a little bit more confidence, but also helps us to reduce the risk of some of those mental health conditions prevailing into adult life.”
Lucy Pearson, Education Officer at Sport Birmingham, explains the rationale behind the launch of Active in Mind across the city: “Mental health and wellbeing has become a prominent topic within schools across Birmingham with young people facing more challenges in day to day life. Working alongside Youth Sport Trust, School Games Organisers and external partners we wanted to provide a support system throughout the project which would help them identify techniques of regulating their emotions, developing resilience and confidence when facing these challenges. The project facilitates this learning as well as ways the participants can become mentors back in school to support peers going through similar experiences.”
If you would like to know more about the project, please contact Lucy via lucy.pearson@sportbirmingham.org