The Voices of Young People: Mental Health Stories
Channel: Charlie Waller Trust
Date: 30/03/2022

Here at the Charlie Waller Trust, young people are at the centre of our work.

On a sunny Saturday morning in Bristol, our Youth Speaker and Participation Lead Alice set out to talk to young members of the public about their mental health, and how they manage it. And what better way to kick things off than heading to a city full of students and asking them what they really think? With Alice working with filmmaker Kristian Garside and mental health campaigner Haleem Clift, the aim was to come out with some useful content for helping people understand what young people are feeling at the start of a new academic year emerging from the pandemic.

"Just having people reach out to me and just say ‘hey, how you doing?’ makes all the difference”, said one student. Asking how someone is should never be underestimated: it can play an integral role in looking out for other people’s mental health, and it takes less than a minute. Sometimes we need to ask twice, even three times, but the question can save lives.

When in doubt about how best to help young people struggling with their mental health, it’s always best to ask young people themselves – they really are the experts. 

This video is the sixth in our series of seven.