Pupils at St Laurence CE Junior Academy in Ramsgate brightened their day earlier this month with a splash of yellow for youth mental health charity YoungMinds’ campaign in support of young people’s mental health.
Students and staff dressed in yellow for World Mental Health Day on October 13 as part of YoungMinds’ HelloYellow campaign which called on people to stand together in support of young people struggling with their mental health, to show they matter and deserve the help they need, when they need it, no matter what.
The pupils joined thousands of schoolchildren across the country, swapping their school uniform for #HelloYellow at a time when more children and young people than ever before are struggling with their mental health. Over 1.2m under 18s were referred to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) last year, an increase of 53% since 2019.
Young people are experiencing a unique set of pressures for a generation – growing up, living through a pandemic and cost of living crisis against the backdrop of global instability, combined with other factors such as academic pressure, all of which is taking a toll on their mental health.
YoungMinds is urging the Government to prioritise young people’s mental health including providing early support in communities, increasing help in schools and reducing waiting times.
Laura Bunt, Chief Executive at YoungMinds, said: “We want to thank St Laurence CE Junior Academy for their support for #HelloYellow. By wearing yellow they’ve shown young people’s mental health matters.
“This comes at a time when the young generation are facing a unique set of pressures with more young people than ever before needing support for their mental health and many facing long waits for help. The awareness raised by St Laurence CE Junior Academy will help Young Minds make sure no young person feels alone with their mental health.”