Y’sGirls isready tohelp

A group which aims to provide opportunities for young people across Perth and Kinross has started a new programme to offer help and support to young women and girls at risk of developing mental health issues.

Y’s Girls has been launched by YMCA Tayside, which hopes the local community will also get involved.

Working with social workers, schools and local police, Y’s Girls will connect vulnerable young women aged nine to 14 with mentors from a range of different backgrounds to offer support and positively influence their lives.

The programme will take on a youth work approach by providing proactive and preventative intervention to young women and girls seen as most at risk of developing mental health issues, with mentors being recruited and trained by YMCA Tayside.

Mentors will regularly meet up with their mentee over a 12 month period, no more than once a week for two hours, offering an informal environment with the opportunity to discuss anything that might be worrying them, from family and personal relationships, to lifestyle and education.

Jill McGrath, chief executive of YMCA Tayside, said: “We are all too aware that mental health issues amongst children and young people are rising dramatically, and so the chance to offer that much needed time and support at such a critical stage is invaluable.

“The additional pressures of the pandemic, coupled with consistent and damaging cuts to youth services over the last decade, have left many young people isolated and without essential support. Projects like Y’s Girls provide a muchneeded bridge within our youth work, helping to reach vulnerable young women and girls in their time of need.”

For more information on Y’s Girls or to find out about mentor opportunities, contact alyxs@ymcatayside. com.