Earlier this month I attended NottAlone Live, a special event for schools hosted by NottAlone during Children’s Mental Health Week.
Earlier this month I attended NottAlone Live, a special event for schools hosted by NottAlone during Children’s Mental Health Week, writes Tracey Taylor, Cabinet Member for Children and Families at Nottinghamshire County Council.
Over 700 local young people from primary and secondary schools gathered over two days, February 4 and 5 , at the YMCA Community and Activity Village in Newark.
They took part in mental health workshops, watched inspiring performances and had the opportunity to meet representatives from a wide range of groups doing work with children and young people across a variety of topics.
It was inspiring to witness young people engaging so thoughtfully with local mental health service providers and chatting to peers about how to look after their mental health.
One of many special moments I witnessed was during a workshop where young people wrote down the things they like about themselves to create paper chains full of positivity about what makes them special.
Hearing the young people speak positively about themselves, and what makes them happy, was heartening and very much in line with this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week theme of ‘know yourself, grow yourself’.
It was a pleasure to see so many young people engaging in this positive work around developing their confidence and resilience to combat mental health issues.
Now in its third year, NottAlone Live provides a vital platform for children and young people to feel seen and heard when it comes to their mental health.
It creates a safe environment to engage in meaningful discussions about mental health, learn about local support services that are available to them, and helps them recognise that they are not alone.
An event like this brings the mental health conversation to life in a memorable way. I hope that, for those who attended, the event will be a key part of their journey to understanding mental health and how to get support when they need it.
I urge anyone who has a child or young person in their life to tell them about NottAlone. The NottAlone website is a fantastic resource for all ages, with specially tailored content for children’s mental health.
Young people can access mental health advice and information created just for them, with links to free, local support suitable for their age group. The website also has curated information for parents/carers and professionals working with children and young people to help them provide the right support.
