A newly-formed group of 16 and 17-year old students from Stone are targeting the often-overlooked subject of young men’s mental health in a pioneering new project.
They feel that despite growing awareness, young men still receive insufficient support when it comes to dealing with mental health issues. So the 15-strong group have set up a company called by Side by Side. Their aim is to create safe, accessible resources for young adults with mental health issues. They now have the backing of their school, Alleynes Academy in Stone, who have entered them into the national Young Enterprise competition.
“There is still a considerable stigma surrounding the topic of mental health, particularly as it affects young men, like ourselves,” says Jack Porter Side by Side Director. “We believe the most important thing to do is to encourage young men to speak openly about their feelings, which to many of us is not something that comes easily. Many young men fear that ‘opening up’ about their fears and innermost feelings will make them appear weak and not ‘manly’ enough. Our aim is to help them overcome that barrier by providing a supportive environment and effective resources to enable them to demolish the stigma of mental health.”
The group have already created a range of materials to help their cause. In addition to a number of informational leaflets focussing on problems with stress in school, workplace and social media, Side by Side are using digital communication techniques to reach the young men who are the primary audience for their campaign.
This includes a website at www.sidebysideuk.com, featuring information about the group and also a range of useful links to organisations which are able to provide assistance on mental health issues.
There is an Instagram account at @together_sbs and working with e-learning consultancy Enlighten, there is also a Project called “Together”. This is a 100% confidential and safe code for young people to use, which offers motivational support and other features, including interviews with celebrities discussing their own mental health issues and experiences. The Code features AR (augmented reality) to create a safe accessible resource for young adults with mental health difficulties to use. The AR code will do this by allowing the consumer to scan the code and helpful tips, emergency contacts and safe spaces will emerge on to the consumer’s device.
“We are looking to create accessories where the code will readily available to scan and we hope this takes off massively,” says Jack Porter. “We have made social media and digital communication an important focus of the project because we know these are important to many people in our age group, so they are the best way to reach people. Consistency is key for us and due to our important message, we are constantly posting to our Instagram page. Everyone is welcome to come and join us.”
Side by Side will continue to develop its resources in the coming weeks and is looking forward to getting involved in the next stage of the Young Enterprise Community Programme.
