The Challenge

Imagine trying to learn the 7-times-table or read a book while riding on a high speed rollercoaster.  This is what life feels like for many of our children.  They wake up troubled by the struggles they face, they then have to make their way to school and try to concentrate in the classroom.  At night they go to bed feeling overwhelmed, and they have nowhere to turn.

Adverse childhood experiences (such as poverty, loss, neglect or exposure to violence and abuse) have a direct impact on mental health and our sense of well-being.  These young people live on high alert, in a permanent state of fight, flight or freeze.  The lack of access to resources and support presents a double negative.

The Opportunity

When you are offered a safe space to talk to a supportive adult, who really listens, you can find hope, resolve trauma, escape the downward spiral and begin a journey to a place of well-being where you can thrive.

On the one hand – children and young people in schools are traumatised and in need of a safe space and safe person to confide in and on the other hand  school leavers, from these same communities, are unemployed.  There is an opportunity to bring these two groups together (supported by our team of psychologists and social workers) to provide a holistic, community-based mental health service. 

And that is exactly what we do.  We train up community members in Mental Health First Aid and employ them to work alongside our therapists.  Our therapists (we call them Care Practitioners) have a tertiary qualification and our Care Facilitators have lived experience – a powerful combination.

The Outcome

Mental health is defined as a state of wellbeing in which every individual

• • realizes their own potential,
  • can cope with the normal stresses of life,
  • can work productively and fruitfully,
  • and is able to make a contribution to their community.

Even the World Economic Forum agrees: “We can’t make progress without investing in mental health… ”