Young Mental Health Champions gathered last month in a marketplace-style celebration event in Ralli Hall, Hove, to share the challenges and successes encountered in this past school year.
Our Champions project, run in partnership with Public Health Schools at Brighton and Hove City Council, is led by young people across secondary and primary schools in the city. It aims to empower young people to take action to improve the mental wellbeing of both students and staff and to challenge mental health stigma.
The 2024-25 Champions did an outstanding job preparing and running stalls for their respective schools, showing guests what they had achieved.
Among the attendees were Emily Smith from NHS Sussex, Becca Randall from Health Innovation KSS and Megan Lewis from Public Health Schools who delivered a heartfelt speech. We were also delighted to welcome our very own DownsLink Group CEO Emily Brock.
The young people enthusiastically took part in a scavenger hunt which was followed by the highlight of the day: the traditional award ceremony for students and staff. The event was documented by volunteer photographer, Tabs.
Our e-wellbeing Digital and Engagement Specialist Charlotte Heany said: “The event really shone a light on the importance of youth voice and how much this should be valued.”
This year, some of the Champions have focused on optimising school website navigation for accessing mental health resources; others on improving anxiety in class and exams through shifting mindset.
At one participating primary school, they have developed and established Mental Health Champions’ Golden Playtime Rules to promote a safer, more enjoyable playground experience. Using surveys to gather data, they have then used assemblies to share insights and resources with fellow students, helping to raise further awareness of mental health and the project and its impact.
“I didn’t know so many schools were involved in doing Mental Health Champions. I thought there would maybe be a couple others. It’s been so interesting to see a lot of schools I recognise doing it and seeing some of the changes they’ve made.
“If anyone is thinking about doing Mental Health Champions, then you should! It’s a good opportunity because mental health hasn’t really become an important thing in schools until recently, so I think it’s important to do more things like this as it makes people more aware.”
– Esmé, Mental Health Champion
How does the Mental Health Champions project work in schools?
Participating schools recruit up to 12 Champions who take part in peer-led mental health and emotional wellbeing workshops. Together, they identify key issues affecting wellbeing and the students develop actions to address them. They are supported by our e-wellbeing staff and Youth Ambassadors, a group of creative 16 to 25-year-olds, passionate about improving the emotional health and wellbeing for all, who facilitate the workshops and co-produce project materials.
Since its inception in 2020, Champions have successfully delivered a wide range of initiatives, such as tackling bullying and discrimination, promoting better sleep hygiene, creating safe spaces for students feeling anxious or overwhelmed, eliminating gender labels on school uniforms, supporting students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more!
Previously Champions encountered challenges seeing their action plans implemented due to lack of awareness from the wider school community and senior leadership. This was addressed this past year by directly involving senior leadership team members in the project by attending the workshops and discussing proposed steps with the Champions. The resulting increased engagement in turn contributed to wider adoption in the participating schools and more positive impact on student and staff well-being. 
Sally Rodgers, English Teacher and Mental Health Lead at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) which joined in 2021, said: “The defining feature is how it has been continuously improving. Following its inception in 2020, surveys were brought in and the project has adapted accordingly, becoming more focused and effective.”
The project not only helps all students access mental health support in their school but also enables the Champions to build valuable skills in public speaking, leadership and general confidence, preparing them for various roles in life.
The young Champions also take pride in their role. When asked what the programme meant for her, Mental Health Champion Jessica (year nine) said: “I hope it will benefit others like it’s benefited me. I wish it had existed in my year seven.”
Charlotte Heany adds: “The students are so passionate about making a difference and they know what young people need more than we do!”
Listening to children and young people has always been integral to the work we do at YMCA DownsLink Group and this project feeds into our new Youth Voice and Leadership Strategy: embedding the voice of all our young people in the strategic priorities that shape our organisation – treating young people as experts in their own lives.
Thank you to e-wellbeing Youth Ambassadors Hannah, Louisa, Imogen, Tabs and Soph for helping to run this year’s event, and of course to all the incredible young people who have taken part in this year’s project – you have been AMAZING and we are so grateful for all your hard work!
Find out more about e-wellbeing.
Read more about Tabs here.
