Championing children and young people’s voices this #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek

The theme of this year’s #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek is My Voice Matters, encouraging children and young people to express themselves and asking the adults in their lives to listen and respond with empathy, kindness, and respect.
​
We can all be having more meaningful communication with the children and young people in our lives, and we hope this week is a reminder to make time, be present and just listen.

Children and young people who feel that their voices are heard and can make a difference feel safer in their relationships, are more confident expressing themselves and are more invested in their communities.
​
To help you celebrate the week we’ve gathered some of our favourite activities, films, digital content, and resources that nurture and explore wellbeing and are perfect for young people, families, youth workers and educators. 

Express yourself through creative activities.

Check out our easy and relaxing activities created for children and young people to cultivate wellbeing in a fun and simple way.

Creative Activities for wellbeing with artist Sofia Barton- We’ve commissioned the fantastic artist and illustrator Sofia Barton to create bitesize creative activities for young people and families, to help support their wellbeing. These relaxing and playful activities can be a positive outlet for children’s thoughts and feelings.
​
Creative Wellbeing Micro-Workshop for Children Mortal Fools Associate Artists animator Sheryl Jenkins and writer Danielle Burn collaborated on this short and sweet wellbeing micro-workshop for children and young people - a perfect way to spend a mindful, creative few hours!

Get inspired with films and Digital content!

When you give young people the space to share their ideas you’ll be astounded by their imagination, wisdom, and creativity. Our theatre and film projects are made by young people for young people, exploring topics that are relevant to their lives.

I Am Where I Need To Be: This Is Me- This short film describes the anxiety of crossing the threshold into a new experience and finding yourself. The film was written by our online youth theatre group member Ella and was performed by Ella and Fellow member Katie. It has been brought to life by the entrancing animation of Lauren Shepherd. 

The Dazzling Dozen: Confidence is..... – In October 2023 we delivered a Get Started With: Performance & Creativity workshop with Princes Trust. Our 12 brilliant young people learnt skills in acting and performance, devising creative content, production and tech and much more.

As part of the process, they created an animation all about confidence with professional animator Lily Kroese!

FLUX Digital- This feature-length film was co-created by Ensemble Young Company 2021/22 and professional artists and theatre makers.

12 unique young voices come together on film, to explore what it means to question your identity in a world that feels determined to put you in a box.
​
FLUX is available free or by donation to individuals, families, and community groups, complete with a resource pack bursting with activities to help explore and respond to the themes of the film.

Empower the next generation with Mental Health education.

MELVA: Mental Health Education through storytelling- it is estimated that at least 1 in 6 children aged 7—16 are likely to have a diagnosable mental health condition.
....That’s an average of 5 children per classroom.
It has never been more important for us to find new ways to talk to and teach children about mental wellbeing from an early age.

MELVA is an award-winning creative, web-based programme, designed to improve KS2 children and young people’s knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing.

Express an interest in MELVA for academic year 24/25 via: www.melva.org.uk

Or find out more about getting a license for your family here: https://melva.org.uk/families/
​

Find support for young people and families.

We’ve created these resources to respond to the needs of our Mortal Fools community, bringing information about local and national support together.

Wellbeing resource- If you are looking for wellbeing support, we’ve put together this resource for children and young people. It includes signposting to a wide variety of wellbeing and mental health support organisations both nationally and North East specific as well as uplifting films, art and digital content from Mortal Fools and friends.

Cost of living and emergency resource- We know that the cost-of-living crisis has impacted families in different ways. ​If you’re struggling with things right now, the good news is, there is plenty of support available, but we recognize that it can be difficult to navigate, especially in a crisis or if you’re unsure where to start. We’ve created this resource to signpost to support available across Northumberland and the wider North East all in one place so you can download it and just have to hand.

We hope you have a great Children’s Mental Health Week, filled with playful, relaxing, and thought provoking activities that support the mental health of the children and young people in your life.

 If you’re passionate about championing young people’s voices keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming Ensemble Young Company show, Inevitable!
 
You’re 17. You arrive on the inevitable threshold. Some of you are fearful,
some of you are hopeful, some livid, some oblivious and some raring to
go. You’re about to embark on a journey alongside a group of teenagers to
your final destination: Adulthood.

But how did you get here? Are you ready? And what comes next?

This unfiltered, funny, and thought-provoking theatre show explores this
universal transition moment and the reality of growing up in 2024.

We will be announcing dates and venues and opening ticket sales very soon!

To get behind the scenes updates and find out when tickets go on sale join our mailing list https://www.mortalfools.org.uk/mailing-list.html and
follow our social media @mortalfoolsuk on all platforms!