Supporting Children’s Mental Health Throughout the Pandemic and Beyond

Our proven and award winning Creative Mental Health Programme™ isn’t just super effective for adults – it’s also fantastic for children and young people. The structure of the programme remains virtually unchanged, whatever the age of the beneficiary, because the content is very much driven by the people in the groups. We are purely the vehicle, whereas they are the engine, the fuel and the passengers.

Rather than just signposting to others, we offer an intervention that has seen 100% of participants feed back that they felt less anxious, more reassured and supported, more understood, more confident, more inspired, more in control of symptoms and coping strategies and 100% said that PoetsIN™ encouraged them to engage in self care. What other mental health intervention can boast these fully tracked statistics?

And much like adults over the last year or so, many children have been seriously struggling with their mental health. Uncertainty, isolation, moved goal posts and daily changes to circumstances have left many of them feeling anxious, depressed, disconnected, distraught and discombobulated.

The co-founders of this charity – myself (Paul) and Sammie, feel very strongly about children of all ages getting the support and tools they need to use for life – that will also help them throughout their adult years. We both didn’t receive our diagnoses and support until we were adults. We want to change that for all kids now, so that they can not only recognise when something needs attention and manage their wellbeing through the means we teach them – but also to have a safe space to speak openly about their mental health without fear of judgement.

Thanks to funding from Bedfordshire & Luton Community Foundation that we received at the start of the pandemic; we have been delivering our programme to six Bedfordshire based schools. Whilst perpetual lockdowns caused logistical issues in planning six lots of six-week programmes, we have now delivered to all of the schools and the groups of fabulous young people in them.

We have seen these young people grow and change and become empowered. They have appreciated having a space held for them on a weekly basis. They have managed worry and stress and have blossomed and burgeoned under our collective watchful eyes. We couldn’t be prouder.

The heroes who look after these wonderful souls have appreciated the support offered by The Creative Mental Health Charity PoetsIN – particularly as funding is become increasingly scarce in times when even more support is need with children’s mental health.

The funding allowed us to return to Arnold Academy in Barton-Le-Clay. Neill Campbell is the SENDCo at the academy, and he said this about the programme:

“Once again Poets In have delivered another round of their outstanding six-week programme to a group here at Arnold.

There was a noticeable positive impact on those who took part. From the withdrawn young person on the edge of the playground, now joining in with friends to the ones struggling to express their emotions in a healthy way.  Our young people, who have benefitted from PoetsIN, have shared their positive experience with peers and members of our pastoral team.

Advocacy, of self and others, self-care, confidence to speak about how they feel and the confidence to create support groups within school are all ongoing and building upwards.

From my perspective (as a SENDCo), one of the main barriers for children and young people who struggle with their mental health engaging in any process around it, is them feeling safe enough to build relationships and express themselves without them feeling that they are being judged. Simply put, our project worker extinguished these barriers. Our project worker took the individual needs of each young person on board and made adjustments according to their individual circumstances – not only on the whole, but also reading how they were (are ?) in ‘the now’.

In a time where we have been so disconnected from each other, PoetsIN has been that conduit for our young people to reconnect, reflect and express themselves.”

Another one of the schools we delivered to was Woodland Academy in Flitwick. We have included some of the words that came out within that group from Ffion (who has given us permission to use her name and her work). We’re sure you’ll agree the potency of her purging is palpable.

Sarah Yates, the Learning Mentor / Family Support Worker at Woodland said this:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for inviting Woodland to join in with the workshop you have spent the last few weeks delivering to us.  Our lovely year 8 pupils thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and thought you were great and also rather cool!  I found it extremely interesting to watch how pupils I expected to chat, didn’t say much and those who I thought would be quiet, found their voice.

I watched them grow, blossom and flourish and believe this has been a valuable learning experience for life which I believe they will always remember.

Please come back to us as soon as possible.”

We really would like to thank Bedfordshire & Luton Community Foundation for making this possible and helping so many children, and vicariously, their peers and families.

1 in 4 adults and now 1 in 6 children and young people have or are likely to have a medically diagnosed mental illness. This doesn’t account for those who are struggling in silence. At PoetsIN, we won’t turn anyone away – minds matter – and we appreciate how hard it is to reach out for help.

We have a number of services available to cater for the needs of individuals and organisations, regardless of their location across the globe. It is our aim to help as many people as possible with their mental wellbeing – educating, empowering, understanding, and inspiring everyone to keep their minds healthy.

You can find out more on our services page here or email us at info@poetsin.com

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