“Know yourself, grow yourself.” Children’s mental health week 2025

Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 is taking place now, from the 3^rd-9^th of February, marking the 10^th anniversary of this important initiative led by Place2Be. This year’s theme, “Know Yourself, Grow Yourself”, encourages young people to better understand their emotions and develop healthy coping strategies to build resilience. Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 has joined forces with Here4You to explore the importance of self-awareness and expressing emotions.

Here4You is supported by The Walt Disney Company, and through the characters of Pixar’s Inside Out and Inside Out 2, the resources encourage children and young people across the UK to discover how getting to know who they are can help them build resilience, grow and develop.

At Fast Forward, we are dedicated to empowering young people to make informed choices about their wellbeing. Through our work, we highlight the connections between mental health and risk-taking behaviours, ensuring that young people have access to the support they need.

Children’s Mental Health Week is a great time to raise awareness and start important conversations about mental wellbeing. Across the UK this week, schools, youth groups, and families will be taking part in assemblies, activities, and fundraising efforts to promote positive mental health and speaking out.

Risk-taking behaviours can be an unhelpful strategy to cope with emotional difficulties and can severely impact a young person’s mental and physical well-being.

Poor mental health can sometimes lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as vaping or smoking. Research has shown that many young people start vaping as a way to manage stress, anxiety, or other emotional challenges. In some cases, smoking can even be linked to self-harm behaviours, as a method of control or relief. Although these behaviours might appear to offer a temporary relief, they often worsen mental health challenges over time.

Here at Fast Forward, we’re continuing to focus on supporting young people’s mental health by creating spaces where they can talk openly, learn new coping strategies, and get the guidance they need. The work we do helps break down the stigma around mental health, giving young people the strength to speak out and ask for help when they need it, as well as help them make positive choices that support their overall wellbeing. This week, let’s come together to raise awareness, support each other, and show young people that they don’t have to face their mental health challenges alone. We all have a role to play in making sure every young person gets the support they deserve.

If you notice young people you’re working with struggling with their mental health or relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms, please reach out. We’d love to hear your story and work together to make a difference.