Mental health and self-care have never been so important. Here at Cowley Sixth Form College, there are numerous initiatives that we run to encourage Sixth Form students to reflect on their own mental health to help them deal with life’s many challenges.
Recently, a number of Cowley Sixth Form students worked in partnership with the Charlie Waller Trust to complete an 8-week course on Wellbeing and Positive Mental Health in order to be able to provide peer support to fellow students.
Part of the programme was an intensive 3-hour session where the ambassadors undertook the Youth Mental Health Aware course recognised by Mental Health England and presenting a wellbeing health campaign to the group on their chosen focus.
The students had to decide on a number of issues to focus on and they chose ‘Dealing with difficult news’, ‘Coping with social media stress’ and ‘Finding ways to boost your wellbeing’. Marketing materials focusing on these areas were created to be used around the college to help provide information and to support students.
The group were very positive in their attitudes and mature in their approach with some very difficult subjects.
About the Charlie Waller Trust
The Charlie Waller Trust is one of the UK’s most respected mental health charities. The charity was founded in 1997 by the family of Charlie Waller who took his own life whilst suffering from depression. The charity helps young people to understand their own mental health, to equip them to support themselves and those around them, and to empower them to talk more openly about the subject.
