Cambridge United Foundation are relaunching their secondary school mental health intervention programme to improve self-awareness of students mental health, whilst being comfortable and able to support others. Initially launched in 2018, Mind Your Head was awarded the EFL League 2 Community Project of the Year award in 2020, the project engaged with over 1,000 students and improved mental health literacy amongst all participants, tackling one of society’s biggest issues.
The programme, designed for Year 8 and 9 students, uses the brand of Cambridge United to educate and support young people in managing their own mental health, while building confidence in helping those around them.
There are six sessions which cover the topics of:
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Recognising the signs
- Managing your emotions
- Benefits of talking and communication
- The world around us
- Reflection and Empowerment
As the programme looks to relaunch, the focus has shifted from educating on what mental health is and the impact it can have, to now having a focus on being self-aware and aware of others around you. There have been great strides in the education surrounding mental health, and the relaunch of the programme has been guided by the increased knowledge and understanding that students now possess.
Academic research on the programme has shown that Mind Your Head provides a statistically significant increase in mental health literacy.
Dickon Bevington, Medical Director at the Anna Freud Centre and a Consultant Psychiatrist for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust said: “In sport it is quite ‘normal’ to talk about strains and fractures to bones and ligaments, but if we can make it just as normal to talk about the strains and fractures that can happen in anyone’s mind, this will open the door to getting earlier help for many young people, protecting them against developing more serious conditions.”
Graham Daniels, a Cambridge United FC Board Member, said: “We want Cambridge United to take a leadership position on mental health within the game and within our community. Everyone has mental health. We can all have our ups and downs. We believe it is particularly important to help equip young people with the skills to deal with the challenges they inevitably face as they grow up. It all forms part of our wider effort as a Club to show the positive power of football throughout the community.”
To find out more about the programme and how to get involved, email:[email protected]