Why We Must Champion Mental Well-Being For Our Young People

WildHearts is committed to addressing the mental health crisis facing our culture today. Its impact is wide-ranging; affecting not only our young people, but their loved ones and the wider economy. In a recent survey by the OECD conducted across 79 countries, 15 year olds in the UK were second last in what they call the ‘meaning in life index’. UK teenagers are among the least likely globally to agree with the idea that “my life has clear meaning or purpose”.

Given that a sense of meaning or purpose in life is a key component of emotional well-being and achievement, this insidious sense of pointlessness will continue to erode the emotional health of our culture as teenagers today mature into adulthood.

The stats evidence the personal tragedies and wider economic impact. This is why WildHearts is committed to championing mental health and well-being for all our young people.

  • 20%
    of young people
    aged 5-16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder.
  • 16.2%
    of deaths in boys
    aged 5 – 19 are suicide.
  • 13.3%
    of deaths in girls
    aged 5 – 19 are suicide.
  • 50%

    of all mental health problems manifest by age 14 and 75% by age 24.

 

  • 1/3rd

    of sick leave cases in 2015 were linked to mental health problems.

 

  • £5.4 billion

    is the cost to UK GDP due to mental health related absences.

Sources: ONS 2017, Mental Health Foundation (children and young people);  Mental Health Foundation (economic and social costs)

WildHearts Mental-Wellbeing Webinars for Parents and Teens

To deliver our strategy WildHearts is are now working with leading experts in the field of mental health and have committed to making their expertise more widely available to our young people. Our strategy is a threefold empowerment programme designed to:

  1. Empower young people to look after their own mental well-being.
  2. Empower their teachers with the training and guidance they need to support the young people in their care.
  3. Empower their parents and carers with the support and knowledge they need to help their children.

To achieve this, we will be running a series of training webinars with leading mental health experts for teenagers and parents. We will also be providing teachers in our WildHearts Partner Schools with access to online training programmes to enhance their understanding and ability to respond to this issue. See the full list of upcoming webinars below.

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