YoungMinds

When the winter months feel heavy, remember that small steps can make a difference.

You should never blame yourself for struggling with your mental health.

This is a big fight. And it impacts all of us. The problem is that 1.3 million young people were referred to mental health services in the last school year. The highest number since records began. These figures have been jaw-dropping for the past decade. And thousands of young people told us why: They are being crushed by overwhelming pressure. And we live in a society that doesn't value their mental health. This needs to change. The Government needs to earn young people's trust by delivering on their promises, committing to tackling problems before they begin, and not blaming them for the problems they face. We’re not saying it will be easy – but this has to be the moment where we say enough is enough. The moment we look at how our country’s been dealing with issues impacting young people and admit it’s failing.    Don't let young people take this on alone. Start by signing our petition (link in the comments). And together we can make the world feel less heavy.

This is the reality of being a young person today. These stories are not rare and they’re not unfamiliar. We need to ease the pressure on young people and make the world feel less heavy. Join us, take action and sign our petition⬇️ ✍️ https://lnkd.in/eYHc-NiG.

This story is too common. “Growing up, I was always told that if I worked hard at school and got a degree, the world was my oyster. So I did, excelling at high school with my GCSE's, A Levels and obtaining a first class degree a couple of years ago. I now look forwards and see that this really isn't the case at all. Caught between fears over climate change, the threat of war, recession after recession hanging over me, it's hard to feel hopeful for the future.” No young person should feel hopeless about the future and it shouldn’t just on them to find a way through. But the good news is, in community there is power. And together, we can ease the pressure on young people and make the world less heavy. Don't let young people face this alone.

"Why are so many young people struggling with their mental health these days?" A question I've been asked hundreds of times, by journalists, MPs, funders, friends and family. It's a legitimate and important question, but one that's often underpinned by the (understandable) desire for a simple answer to something very complex. When you talk to young people, as we do at YoungMinds ever single day, you know that there is no simple answer. It's not one thing - it's a million different pressures that add up to one big problem. Today, our Crushed By A Million Pressure campaign launched to make sure those young people have been seen and heard. We wanted those pressures that they face, day in day out, to come into sharp focus. For people to understand the reality of the lives young people are living. A giant art work created with young people, at King's Cross station, acted as a visual metaphor for that pile of pressures. Each 'pressure' itself a piece of art that had been designed by a young person, that the public were invited to take off the pile - shining a light on the role we can all do to ease the pressure on young people. It's been an emotional, inspiring day, meeting young people and adults, talking to them about the campaign and what it represents. And exciting to know that this sparks the start of the journey of engaging young people in more innovative ways and trying to reframe the narrative around young people's mental health to match their real lives and experiences. Read more, and sign our petition, here: https://lnkd.in/e6Rh5pkd

Being a young person today is hard. And these figures show something needs to drastically change. We need to ease the pressure on young people and make the world less heavy. Sign our petition.

It’s time to ease the pressures on young people and make the world less heavy. That's the message we're sharing at Kings Cross Station today. Don’t let young people take it on alone

The mental health crisis isn’t caused by one thing – it’s a million tiny things that add up to one huge problem. This is what our installation at Kings Cross represents. It may look like a pile of rubbish... but each piece represents a real pressure. From a cost-of-living crisis, to never-ending waiting lists, to a school system that doesn’t understand you. These pressures have led to a mental health crisis so severe that 1.3 million young people were referred to mental health services last school year – up 71% in five years. But, together, we can ease the pressures on young people and make the world less heavy. Don’t let young people face this alone.

See you tomorrow.