14 – 20 May is Mental Health Awareness Week, and we’ve been finding loads of new ways to help all of us relax a little bit more…
As part of our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our entire team, we’ve been piloting our ‘Time to Breathe’ project.
The aim is to help our Youth Theatre, Young Actors Company and staff team, as well as young people from some of our partner organisations, reduce stress and become more mental health aware.
The project helped us learn more about mental health ‘triggers’, how to improve both our physical and mental wellbeing and where to go if we, or someone close to us, needs some advice or support.
‘Time to Breathe’ has included weekly meditation, yoga and mindfulness classes that took place before our Youth Theatre session which were delivered by ex-youth theatre member Raven Maguire and her yoga and mindfulness instructor Mum, Jacqui Maguire.
The project also saw us developing stronger links with other local partners, with classes in healthy cooking from our mates at Squash Nutrition and a Peer Mentoring Course delivered by Merseyside Youth Association and supported by Liverpool CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).
This course has equipped 5 of our Youth Theatre and Young Actors Company members with the skills to provide peer-to-peer support during (and outside) our weekly sessions and rehearsals.
And if all that wasn’t amazing enough, we’ve even purchased a lifetime subscription to a popular smart phone app that provides guided meditations and anti-anxiety techniques.
The app is available for use by anyone at 20 Stories High and we hope it helps us all become a more mindful and relaxed team!
A big thank you goes to The Tilney Fund and The Community Foundation Merseyside, for supporting the project financially.
If you, a young family member, or a friend are experiencing stress, anxiety or low moods there are people who can help. Speak to a trusted teacher, youth worker, parent or carer, or even your GP.
In Liverpool we also recommend:
Young Person’s Advisory Service
Merseyside Youth Association
YoungMinds
Person Shaped Support
(Services for people seeking asylum)
