32% of young people agreed that the pandemic had made their mental health much worse (Young Minds).
Worsening mental health
Over two thirds (68%) of the young people we house in supported accommodation have existing mental health issues and in many cases, the pandemic and resulting stress, worry and anxiety has exacerbated these issues.
Whether through loss of job and income, social isolation or a lack of access to private space, they need our continuous support throughout this challenging time. Enter e-wellbeing!
e-wellbeing: How virtual mental health support is making a differenceÂ
Last month YMCA Dialogue, in partnership with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, launched a new digital service for young people in Sussex – e-wellbeing. The mental health support website provides advice, support and a clear pathway to local services for any young person in need and aims to reduce the pressure on frontline services, including GP’s and A&E.
The initial traffic since launch starkly highlighted how needed mental health support is for young people, particularity at this challenging time. In the first week of the official launch:
- 1,533 people accessed e-wellbeing
- There were 4,961 page views on emotional wellbeing
- 90% said they would recommend the site to a young person
In the coming months, the digital platform will continue to work with our youth participation project YMCA Right Here and other young people to create more interactive content, including videos on issues affecting young people (click here for an example, or see below) and will gain their feedback to further develop the site.
For more information, please contact Nicola Harvey, YMCA DLG’s Digital Wellbeing Development Lead at [email protected].
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