This week, 13-19 May, is Mental Health Awareness Week and looking after the mental health and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers has always been our priority. Let’s take a look at how some of our mental health initiatives have had a positive impact on the lives of the people in our communities…
With a love for music, 16-year-old Lily has always been interested in DJing. Getting her hands on her first set of decks last year, her passion only grew. When her mum found that our Knowsley Young Minds project, in partnership with Evolving Mindset CIC, was offering free DJ workshops, she took Lily along.
Lily was diagnosed with a condition that affects her socially, but the project has really helped her come out of her shell. The confidence and change in Lily since she started coming to Knowsley Young Minds hasn’t gone unnoticed; by her family, the people at the project and most importantly, herself.
“At first I found it overwhelming. I’m an overthinker so things like “What if I don’t talk?” “What if I do it wrong?” all played on my mind. But everyone has been so supportive and patient. I’m now more confident in myself in DJing – I love it!”
When 18-year old Libby was heading into her second year of college, she was also juggling coping with her parents’ divorce. Finding it difficult to focus, and with her grades dropping, she was struggling to deal with it all.
After finding our Knowsley Young Minds project, she attended a one-to-one mentoring session. Walking away feeling lighter, Libby continued to attend weekly workshops and after a few months developed a real interest in mental health. She began volunteering at event s and working towards her Safeguarding and Mental Health qualifications.
As her confidence built, she gained a managerial promotion at work and was even hired by Evolving Mindset as a part-time co-facilitator of the project. She’s now dipping into social work where she’s doing what she loves most, helping others.
Former lorry driver, Steven, took part in our Future Skills in Health & Social Care course. Determined to encourage other drivers in the industry to open up about mental health, he’s using his new qualifications to make a difference.
Knowing first-hand how lonely being a lorry driver can be, working long hours on your own Monday to Friday, Steven wanted to do something that could support and educate other drivers about mental health. Steven went on to complete a number of qualifications delivered by Evolving Mindset.
He’s now been busy delivering mental health awareness sessions to drivers working for transportation and logistics companies. His aim is to get people talking about how they’re feeling and encourage them to speak to others. He believes that mental health in the workplace is so important, especially in his industry where the easy option is to just shut down.
