Mental Health Toolkit for Young People by Volunteering Matters
Mental Health Toolkit co-designed by Volunteering Matters and young people.
This Mental Health Toolkit was funded by The Mayor of London to support young people’s mental health. The toolkit was co-designed by Volunteering Matters and Young People who champion positive mental health.
This was London-based Skyway’s very own Come Dine with Me mini-series. Over a period of three weeks, a group of young people and workers planned, filmed, cooked and edited to create two Come Dine With Me episodes.
The young people created a menu, budgeted and bought ingredients, then cooked a main course and dessert for the opposing team to judge. These are all useful life skills to combat food poverty and promote resilience during the cost-of-living crisis. Take a look at the video to see them in action!
11 young Traveler peer researchers were trained in basic qualitative research skills and assisted in creating a questionnaire. The peer researchers interviewed 44 x 15 - 25-year-old Travelers in London about the barriers they have faced around education, both in school and at home. They were also asked for their recommendations for improvements to the education system. The research found that the experience of bullying in school is more of a norm than an exception for young Travelers in London.
KIDS, a UK national charity supporting young people with Special Education Needs & Disabilities (SEND), co-created a secret shopper initiative in North London with some SEND young people. As well as choosing a range of local venues to be evaluated against disability-friendly, accessibility and inclusiveness criteria, the project tackled loneliness for this group. The project addressed disability awareness across community organizations in Islington, raised the profile of disabled young people in the area, and made the community more inclusive, benefitting all local disabled people. 32 young people participated.
A guide that assists in applying the skills of research to the 5 step process of Youth Social Action
Refers to activities that young people do to make a positive difference to others while developing key skills and attributes and having fun. YSA can take place in various contexts (i.e. at home, schools, youth clubs etc) and can include volunteering, fundraising, campaigning or supporting peers. We believe social action can play an essential role: in young lives, the success of a school, the local community or more.
Our Resource Hub aims to act as a Youth Social Action search engine, offering tailored results to inspire and guide. The hub hosts a wide variety of resources, including our own Youth Social Action Toolkit, case studies, research reports, and helpful resources from other reputable organisations in the sector.
Our Resource Hub aims to act as a Youth Social Action search engine, offering tailored results to inspire and guide. The hub hosts a wide variety of resources, including our own Youth Social Action Toolkit, case studies, research reports, and helpful resources from other reputable organisations in the sector.
To find appropriate resources, use the filter feature to select the relevant options. You can filter by key stage (1-5), YSA theme (e.g. poverty), or a particular skill (e.g. communication). You can also filter by resource owner (Ormiston Trust or external organisation) and resource type, such as lesson plans. If you know what you are looking for, you can use the search bar.
To save or download resources, please sign up for a free account. In your user area, you can organise your saved items for quick and easy access. On the resource results page, you can save or download multiple resource quickly by using the tickbox feature.
Our Youth Social Action Toolkit has been carefully developed by industry professionals with input from young people to guide school leaders, support staff, and young people through a Youth Social Action project. Our curriculum guides clearly outline how YSA can be integrated into the curriculum of schools with limited time.
We don’t gatekeep – by sharing our sector knowledge and resources, we aim to enrich the lives of all young people by fostering skills development, improving agency and wellbeing, and promoting active citizenship.
The first step of the YSA process is to be inspired by an issue you care about! Check out our inspirational case studies on what you could do!
The second step of the YSA process is to explore your options! You‘ll need to research the issue that inspired you to take action to understand how you can help.
Ready to start planning your project? Access our Youth Social Action Toolkit here.
The third step of the YSA process is to plan your project! Lucky for you, we have a Project Planning Template for that.
The fourth step of the YSA process is to carry out your plan! This is when the physical activities involved like fundraising, campaigning, and volunteering kick off.
The fifth and final step of the YSA process is to reflect! Looking back at your plan, did you achieve your aims? What went well and what didn’t go so well? Can you sustain your project? Or did you take steps to ensure further projects aren’t needed?