Follow your feet, and have a say on youth services
Youngsters lead the way on mental health
Young people are urging their peers to follow their feet and support a youthled mental health campaign for Renfrewshire.
During the October school holidays, several youngsters have organised a series of events, supported by Renfrewshire Council’s youth services and the Paisley 2021 teams, to promote good mental health, such as exercise and talking about what they need.
The Young Scot trailer will be in Paisley town centre this week and members of the Youth Commission on mental health, Renfrewshire Youth Voice, the Youth Forum, LGBT+ youth group and Renfrewshire’s MSYPs will be on board to raise awareness of the campaign and show their support for Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021.
Young people will be asked for their opinions on what a youth hub for Renfrewshire would look like as well as what they want to see as part of a year of culture for Paisley.
They will also be taking part in the Strolling, Strolling, Strolling Wellbeing Walk – held in support of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival – on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 1pm and 3pm around Paisley town centre.
And they are also being asked to post inspirational photos of their lives on social media using #FollowYourFeet
The campaign comes just a few weeks before the Youth Commission hold a symposium at Renfrewshire Council’s headquarters on their key findings.
R e n f r e w s h i r e ’ s Yo u t h Commission came into being after the first Renfrewshire’s Youth Assembly in November last year.
This provides an opportunity for young people in representative roles to meet together and work collectively on the most important issues affecting them.
Youth Services work with young people aged from 11 to 25, with a particular focus on young people in secondary school and young people in need of additional support.
In a joint stattement, Graeme Wilson and Amylouise Busby, two members of the Youth Commission, said: “Good mental health is really important to young people.
“We wanted to do something to get more folk involved in spreading the word about this campaign.
“The commission has been researching what support is out there already for young people and considering what additional support is needed.
“As we prepare to give our evidence on our findings, we want to gather further support in Renfrewshire to show that by following their feet, you can improve your mental health.”
Renfrewshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services convener, Councillor Jim Paterson, said all the activities bring a positive message.
He added: “Making sure young people have everything they need to have good mental health is vital.
“Having youngsters look into what their peers need, what is already out there for them and then hearing their findings will ensure that we do everything we can to support our young people.”
● To find out more about what’s on in Renfrewshire, visit young. scot/renfrewshire