Children’s Mental Health Week 2021
02 February 2021
Fast Forward is very proud to support Children’s Mental Health Week.
We know that when we’re not feeling great, we may not make the same decisions as we would when we are feeling well.
This year’s theme is ‘Express Yourself’ and the organisers, Place2Be, are keen to stress this doesn’t mean creating the perfect art work or performance. Rather it’s about showing the world who you are, how you feel and sharing your ideas, through drawing, painting, music, dancing, singing or photography. All of which have a positive, beneficial effect on our mental health.
Place2Be have found that 3 children in every primary school are experiencing poor mental health, while many more struggle with bullying, bereavement and, of course, lockdown and the current pandemic.
Young people have told us the pandemic has badly affected their mental health and we have developed our practice to meet this need. Our workshops have moved online with a new emphasis on using youth-friendly apps to promote better health and lifestyles.
Our workshops and educational sessions are interactive, open, safe spaces for debate with accurate facts. Our harm reduction approach avoids shame and blame, and our practice steered by the identified needs of Scotland’s young people, including our recently formed young people’s Shadow Board.
Fast Forward believes that the purpose of our work is help young people on their journey to become happy, confident and successful learners. The good mental health of Scotland’s young people is not incidental; it is our goal in everything we do.