Walton Community Council welcomes YiS Mental Health Support for Young People at Summer Holiday Hubs

Supporting young people's mental health in MK throughout the Summer

School might be out for summer very soon, but this doesn't mean access to vital services for young people will go on hold for six weeks. Local charity organisation YiS (Young People's Mental Health), and Walton Community Council have collaborated to bring early support hubs to Milton Keynes throughout the summer break.

1 in 6 children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2020. This is 5 children in every classroom.*

Two-thirds (67%) of young people would prefer to be able to access mental health support without going to see their GP.**

Half (53%) of young people said they didn't know how else to access mental health support without going to see their GP.***

Early support hubs provide the opportunity for young people aged 11+ with a safe space to access support for their mental health and wellbeing without needing a referral or an appointment.

Antonietta Moch, YiS CEO explains; "Young people will gain access to light touch, early intervention information, signposting, and guidance to support their mental health and emotional wellbeing needs before they hit a crisis point. These hubs also allow young people to meet like-minded peers in their community, when they might be feeling like they don't have anyone they can talk to during the school holidays."

The Early Support Hubs are designed to create a relaxed space within a group setting. There is no pressure on attendees to participate in the planned activities and any young person can access confidential one-to-one support.

Antonietta continues: "We know that the summer holidays can be a tricky time for some young people to navigate; the change in routine, usual friends and support network might be away on holiday or the services young people can access at term time aren't always there. We decided we'd like to continue offering the hubs to young people throughout the school holidays. We are really fortunate that Walton Community Council are such great supporters of the services we provide and recognise that young people will benefit from the hubs all year round."

Dan Preston, Walton Community Council; "This is exactly what Walton Community Council strives to do. We provide summer play sessions for younger children and families, so this feels like an opportunity to also take care of our teenage residents and continue to support YiS within our community, in a way that builds relationships and looks after the wellbeing of everyone living here."

The Early Support Hubs will be held every Tuesday throughout the summer holidays, starting Tuesday 11th July 2023. Young people aged 11+ can drop in between 3.30-5pm at Walnut Tree Sports Ground, Bourton Low, MK7 7DE. No booking is needed, everyone is welcome to bring a friend and no one is required to stay for the entire session.

*Source:
1 in 6 children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2020.
Young Minds.

**Source:
One-third of mental health problems in adulthood are directly connected to an adverse childhood experience (ACE)
Kessler, R. (2010) 'Childhood adversities and adult psychopathology in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys' British Journal of Psychiatry 197(5): 378-385.

***Source:
Two-thirds (67%) of young people said they would prefer to be able to access mental health support without going to see their GP but half (53%) said they didn't know how else to access this help.
Young Minds (2020), First port of call: the role of GPs in early support for young people's mental health.

YiS Youth Counselling Service MK College Chaffron Way Campus Leadenhall Milton Keynes MK6 5LP

Antonietta Moch
CEO
YiS
01908 604700 / 01908 892998
toni@mkyis.org.uk

About YIS

YiS Young People's Mental Health is a long-running charity that works in Milton Keynes to help young people as well as the people that support them. YiS the only organisation in Milton Keynes which provides BACP-Accredited Therapeutic Counselling, as well as One-to-One Wellbeing Coaching, Education, Outreach, Early Support Hubs, and more to improve mental health and wellbeing in the local area.

Find out more about YiS: https://www.mkyis.org.uk/home

About Walton Community Council

Walton Community Council is the first tier of local government in the Walton Parish in South East Milton Keynes. The parish is home to over 12000 residents in Walnut Tree, Walton Park, Walton, Caldecotte, Walton Manor, Old Farm Park, Browns Wood and Wavendon Gate.

The Community Council owns Community Centres and sports fields, along with some play areas, public open space and 4 allotment sites, and is constantly striving to find new ways to deliver and make more easily available vital services for its residents.

The Community Council works closely with ward councillors, the local authority and in some cases, members of the UK and European parliaments.

Find out more about Walton Community Council: https://www.waltoncommunitycouncil.gov.uk/

This release was published on openPR.