Challenges and change

It’s Children’s Mental Health Week, and Young Advisor Sam, 16, has written about the pressures that young people may face. In her blog, she describes some of the challenges in schools and what can be done to make a positive change…

“The hardest thing can be reaching out for help” 

We’ve all been under pressure, but could you imagine feeling like that 24/7, constantly worrying about things at least 39 weeks out of the 52 in a year?  

Every new experience (good or bad) children have in school is something they’ve never faced before, and may find it difficult to cope with. The impact that academic and social pressures can have on young people’s mental health may be something that lives within them forever and the hardest thing to do can sometimes be reaching out for help.   

Freedom to grow  

School is where young people spend the majority of their childhood, yet they may still feel uncomfortable to speak up and ask for help when they need it most. Schools offer support, but children need to ask for that support which can feel like a big responsibility. 

Going to a teacher and actually talking about what is on your mind is one of the bravest things a child can do. “What if my problem isn’t that important? What if they don’t care? I’m scared that what I’m feeling is too stupid for them to listen”. These are the biggest things stopping young people from asking for help. The effect of academic and social pressure can be overlooked by teachers in many schools. So much so, that if a child feels unnoticed, they believe their feelings are invalid.  

But we should be able to talk freely about mental health, when we feel good or when things are harder. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says all children have the right to the best possible health, including mental health. 

Also in the UNCRC, Article 12 says: “I have the right to be listened to and taken seriously”. But even though most young people hear this, they don’t always feel it. We need all schools to be safe places, where children have the freedom to grow in every way possible and express whatever they feel they need to.  

Help children feel understood 

It’s important for young people to feel that they don’t need to go through everything alone. But it can be hard not to feel alone, as although there’s the support of family and friends, everyone has unique experiences that affect them in different ways.  

But there are things that can make a difference. Helping a child feel more comfortable and understood can be achieved through things like pupil groups, being more open about mental health, being encouraged to write a letter or story about how they feel. Even better, this Children’s Mental Health Week, why don’t we ask young people what they think is the best way for them? After all, it’s their life.