Notts events set to inspire this Children’s Mental Health Week
Two exciting events on young people’s mental health and wellbeing will take place in Nottinghamshire this week as part of Children’s Mental Health Week.
More than 1,000 children and young people from schools across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are expected to attend the free NottAlone Live events, which will promote positive mental health, wellbeing and resilience.
Each event will host main stages to showcase local talent and inspiring talks, run workshops for children to take part in, and local mental health and wellbeing services will offer activities and provide information on how they can support young people.
The events will take place at the Notts County Football Ground and the YMCA Community and Activity Village in Newark on February 6 and 8 respectively.
Children’s Mental Health Week, which runs from February 5 to 11, celebrates a new theme each year, with the 2024 theme being ‘my voice matters’.
This theme is echoed throughout NottAlone Live events, with workshops including writing down thoughts and feelings to creating spoken word poetry, positive affirmations and letting your voice be heard.
Dr Orlaith Green, co-founder of NottAlone, Senior Educational Psychologist and Group Lead, Psychology and Inclusion Services at Nottinghamshire County Council, said:
“When we came up with the idea for NottAlone, these kinds of events were just a distant dream. Seeing them come to life is such a rewarding experience and I can’t wait to see young people get involved and learn more about their mental health.
“NottAlone was created with the ambition that every young person in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will know where to turn if they need support with their mental health.
“A visit to the NottAlone website will provide them with information and advice on mental health topics, as well as connect them to a host of support services, all of which are free to access. This is a truly invaluable resource, and bringing NottAlone to life at events where young people can interact with workshops and services in a face-to-face environment is very rewarding.
Dr Maddi Popoola, co-founder of NottAlone, educational psychologist and Head of Mental Health Support Team Services at Nottingham City Council, said:
“After our first NottAlone Live event last year, our whole team was buzzing and I just wanted to maintain that feeling, knowing that we had a very positive impact on all the young people who attended the event.
“We wanted to go bigger and better this year, which is why we are hosting two events in different locations to make NottAlone Live even more accessible to schools across Nottinghamshire city and county. This means we can reach even more children and young people this year to spread the message that whatever your age or situation, you are not alone.
Places for the invitation-only events were quickly booked, with schools fully booking the events within days of bookings opening.
NottAlone Live events will be organized by NottAlone in collaboration with the mental health support teams at Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council.
NottAlone is a partnership between Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board.
Learn more about NottAlone on their website www.NottAlone.org.uk or follow him on social media by searching @NottAlone1 on X or Instagram.
