Xplode Magazine by Youth Leads UK | Winter 2022-23

INSIDE:

MENTAL HEALTH

YOUTH AWARDS

WINTER FASHION

EXPRESSIVE ARTS

BROUGHT TO YOU BY WELCOME

Welcome to Xplode Magazine. Xplode is published by Youth Leads UK - the charity that gives young people like you the opportunities, information and guidance to improve your life chances. We run a number of leadership programmes for young people across Greater Manchester - they take part in skills development workshops, hear from industry experts and complete their own social action projects. They also produce this magazine showcasing their writing, photography and management skills in this magazine.

We’re not just a magazine either - we get the voices of young people heard and acted upon. We believe in a country where youth leads, and we challenge decision-makers to make sure that decisions about young people involve young people. Because of this, we’re a registered charity helping thousands of young people across Greater Manchester.

All our volunteers take pride in what they do, and we are so proud to have been recognised by Her Majesty the Queen, who gave us an award for what we do!

To learn more, join the team or donate, check out our website youthleads.uk

Enjoy the magazine!

VOLUNTEER VOICE

Hifza - “I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Youth Leads. I learnt many new things and participated in beneficial contributions towards society.”

Mrwa - “My experience has been exceptional. I was able to learn many new skills which helped me profusely, especially skills that will help me in the near future. I also managed to meet new people and make new friends.”

DISCLAIMER

Youth Leads UK, registered charity 1155789 strives to provide accurate and up-to-date information. If you have seen any mistakes or anything that you are not happy with then please email us: info@youthleads.uk

All information is correct at the time of print and any unauthorised copying or reproducing of Youth Leads UK’s content will constitute an infringement of copyright.

Youth Leads UK and Xplode Magazine 2023.

CONTACT DETAILS

Youth Leads UK White Media City UK Salford

M50 2NT

E: info@youthleads.uk

T: 0330 1200 619

SINCE LAST TIME... BCYA

Youth Leads UK has received The Dame Mary Perkins British Citizen Youth Award for its #BeTheChange campaign, led by nine inspirational young people.

ONLINE SAFETY INSIGHTS

Young leaders make a significant impact in promoting online safety for young people getting their first mobile phone, thanks to a far-reaching campaign that has already reached over 25,000 people.

NEW PARTNERSHIP

WORLD

TV SHOWS: A BREAK FROM REALITY

When your mind needs a break from endless revision, the best thing to do is to wind down with these feel-good shows. These shows can help to prevent burnout by taking you into a world of comedy and excitement, leaving your worries and fears behind for a couple of hours.

By Zara Issa

Pretty Little Liars

Although the most non-comedic of them all, the suspense engrosses you, leaving you permanently on the edge of your seat. A missing person mystery leaves four girls with all their secrets revealed, exiting your mind in constant unrest until you find the root cause.

Brooklyn 99

This show provides a sense of humour similar to friends, so you’re constantly laughing for eight seasons straight. A police precinct has a childish cop who is essentially a class clown, and the more times you watch it, the funnier it gets, so you’ll never get bored with this show.

Gilmore Girls

An Autumn favourite loved by many, so now more than ever is the perfect time to watch. That’s what I am doing now! This is a show about a studious girl with a unique work-life balance that is more than likely to inspire. With Autumn lining up with the start of the academic year, watching this now can provide you with a boost of motivation to last the whole year.

Friends

I’ve saved the best for last. My personal favourite, as the sense of humour portrayed, could never be replicated. This show provides an equal representation for all six friends, giving you six shows in one. The theme tune alone will take you in immediately; the rest is history. All six friends have polar opposite lifestyles, from being a chef to an actor or even a masseuse, but they all come together to create lifelong memories and take us along with them.

Constantly thinking about your future, exams, and jobs can be draining. A good Netflix show can help to relieve the stress that education brings so that you can take a break from reality for a while. When the future is unpredictable, overthinking will likely lead you into a downward spiral, but these shows may be the best way to escape it (at least for a little while).

EXPRESS YOURSELF, YOUR WAY

Everyone should be able to express themselves in the way that they want. Whether through fashion, skincare, makeup or anything else - all that should matter is that you feel good about what you are wearing or doing. Sometimes people around you can get called out by others for the way they choose to look, crushing their selfesteem and confidence. This behaviour is truly unacceptable.

By Maariyah Hakim

Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves. I like to express myself through makeup and fashion, as this is what I feel most comfortable doing. I don’t have a specific look that I prefer, but I tend to go for clothes that make me feel comfortable and confident - there’s nothing worse than feeling insecure about what you’re wearing! You will usually see me in joggers and an oversized hoodie - my goto for everyday wear. However, I love dressing up and experimenting with makeup too! This has definitely improved my mental health. I’ve learned that being different or standing out is unique, and no one should care because other people’s thoughts and opinions don’t define who we are. How others perceive what people wear or how we present ourselves isn’t something I think much about. It can sometimes make us feel unusual or view ourselves as ‘weird’, but if we’re comfortable, confident and happy, why should we feel that way?

My clothing reflects my mood and style; society doesn’t get to dictate how we should dress. We shouldn’t be seen as ‘different’ when we don’t conform to the norm. Embrace your expression. There is nothing wrong with looking different from others around you. Here is a list of things to think about before you decide what to wear:

• Do you feel physically comfortable?

• Do you feel like yourself?

• Do you feel confident?

• Do you feel good about yourself?

Most of all, the main take away from this should be… never be afraid to express your true self!

YOUTH LEADS UK RECEIVES BRITISH CITIZEN YOUTH AWARD AT PALACE OF WESTMINSTER

By Lucy Dunkerley, Projects & Youth Engagement Coordinator, Youth Leads UK

Every Leadership Programme brings together a group of young people with a vision to make a positive difference to their community, and to influence change through social action. In January 2022, we met our winter cohort and knew they would do great things.

Their social action project, #BeTheChange, tackled hygiene poverty, the climate crisis, and mental health & well-being. The 15 to 17-year-olds spent months planning and executing their project, culminating in a social media campaign reaching over 4000 people and almost 100 letters sent to schools across Greater Manchester. The group also held an action day that saw 100 people in Bolton Town Centre receive a reusable tote bag filled with support leaflets and items to help them live a more sustainable, low-cost lifestyle while supporting their mental health.

I decided to try to have the group’s efforts recognised by the BCyA and spent some time putting together a nomination - once I hit send, I was swept back up with other projects and didn’t really think about it again.

Cut to October, and the BCyA were in touch to let us know that Youth Leads UK’s nomination of the #BeTheChange campaign had been successful, and we were off to London to collect their medal!

Everyone was up at the crack of dawn to catch the train from Piccadilly to Euston - with a slight delay (and a lot of coffee), we arrived at the Palace of Westminster for the medal presentation ceremony. It was incredible to see and hear about all the other extraordinary young people around the country conducting their own acts of kindness and social change.

We heard speeches from Dame Mary Perkins DBE, The Rt Hon The Baroness Cox of Queensbury, Caroline Cox, and other distinguished guests who provided words of encouragement and support for all of the nominees. Our young people were presented with a medal and Certificate of Honour in a display case, and Youth Leads UK received a donation of £1,000 to help us continue their work.

After the ceremony, we headed out on an open-top bus tour of London before a pit stop for some food and just like that, we were back on the train to Manchester.

It was a day full of great stories and new experiences for everyone, and we want to say congratulations to all of our young people who can now call themselves BCyAs!

BTS: LOVE YOURSELF, SPEAK YOURSELF

By Mahanoor Zaman

As many people know, BTS is an extremely popular music group from South Korea, and from 2013 until now, they have been called ‘global phenomenons’, ‘trendsetters’ and ‘mental health advocates’. Through their songs, they have openly spoken about mental health. Therefore, this article will highlight the three main ways BTS address mental health and allow people to love themselves!

BTS K-pop star gives speech at the United Nations

SONGS

BTS have been an established group for almost an entire decade and have released several songs about different themes. One of the most recurring themes is mental health and self-love. This theme was heavily used from 2017-2019, when they released their trilogy series “Love Yourself”, consisting of three albums: “Love Yourself: Her”, “Love Yourself: Tear”, and “Love Yourself: Answer”. Throughout these albums, they released music about simply just loving (and being) yourself. Some song recommendations from these albums are:

• Paradise

• Magic Shop

• So What

• Epiphany

• Answer: Love Myself

However, this trilogy contains only some of their self-love songs! Songs from their other albums that also talk about mental health are:

• Tomorrow (Skool Luv Affair)

• Mikrokosmos (MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA)

• Moonchild. Uhgood, Everythingoes (mono.)

THROUGH OPEN WORDS

Mental health can be seen as a ‘taboo’ subject in some communities, leading to avoidance of open discussion. Since BTS is world famous, they have been invited to several events where they were able to speak their mind on certain topics. One specific occasion was when they gave a speech at the UN 2018. The leader of the group (Kim Nam-joon) gave a heartfelt, meaningful speech about how he found himself and how we can too.

“Today, I am who I am with all my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow, I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that’ll be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I am, for who I was, and for who I hope to become.” - Kim

Namjoon (2018, UN speech)

Despite all eyes on them after such a formal event, BTS continued to speak about mental health, specifically on how it is okay to feel certain ways and how we can recover from any negativity we face.

THROUGH HONEST ACTIONS

After being together for almost ten years, BTS have grown from complete strangers to inseparable brothers. During this time, they have learnt to trust and care for one another, which is a relationship everyone deserves. There might be people you think you can trust and care for, but sometimes, that might not be the case, and that’s okay. BTS have given us prime examples of how to look after one another and have faith in people. Millions of fans (and non-fans) use their stable bonds to better themselves and their relationships with others around them. For BTS, being considerate isn’t just getting grand gifts for your friends’ birthdays or donating to charities: it can be as simple as hugging someone when they’re upset. Likewise, loving someone doesn’t just mean taking a bullet for them; it could be as simple as having faith in them to watch your belongings for a while. This is why many people look up to BTS and use them as role models for the little things in daily life!

Despite being one of the most successful groups in the world, BTS continue to stay humble and down-to-earth, causing them to grow an entire ARMY, allowing fans and non-fans alike to see them as an inspiration and a way to love themselves. Personally, their songs, words and actions have helped me over the past four years while being a fan. Now, I can proudly say that BTS have helped me love myself, and I hope they help you love yourself too!

WINTER CHIC FASHION

Stay warm and comfy this winter while looking effortlessly chic for the season. From co-ords to colourful shackets, there’s something for everyone to take inspiration from. Keep cosy in fluffy pyjamas and socks, or look sleek in satin pyjamas. All the outfits have a pop of colour to brighten up the dull winter months and add positivity to your day!

If you’re looking for a modest outfit that compliments your strong personality, this one’s for you!

IMAAN

Blazer - £14

Boohoo

Jumper - £28 Boohoo

Trousers - £22.50 Boohoo Bag - £9 Pretty Little Thing

Dress to impress effortlessly with this fit! A cosy combo to keep you comfy on your cold winter walks.

MAHANOOR

Shacket - £55.99 ASOS Leggings - £12 River Island

Scarf - £22 ASOS

Bag - £9.99 H&M

Trainers - £32 ASOS

MAARIYAH

The perfect outfits to keep you warm and comfortable on a lazy day whilst you sip hot cocoa and watch your favourite movie!

Jumper - £16.00

ASOS

Blazer - £39.99

Pull & Bear

Trousers - £29.00

River Island

Trainers - £35.00

Schuh

Bag £12.60

Boohoo

Rings - £12.99

H&M

Necklaces - £6.99

H&M

Looking for THE fit?

This all-black outfit paired with the red shoulder bag screams that the chic lifestyle chose you.

H&M

Hoodie -

Leggings - £7.20 Boohoo

Knit

- £7.99 New Look

Satin Pyjamas - £27.99

Knit Socks - £7.99

Satin Pyjama Set - £28.00

£22.49

Socks

STARRY EYED

With every new year, we make resolutions to challenge ourselves. Whether that be visiting new places or trying new things. As we step into a time when something new is trending every day, the makeup trends are also more exciting than ever. Since makeup is one thing I’m most interested in, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try a creative eye look from which you can also take inspiration. If you’re just like me, more ready than ever to change the vibe, follow the steps below to recreate my ‘Starry Look’.

STEPS:

Do your skin prep as usual.

By Maariyah Hakim

Add a bit of concealer of your choice on your eyelids and blend using a sponge or fingertip.

Choose a colour from your eyeshadow palette and use that colour to create a simple winged liner.

Pick stickers of your choice (I chose silver stars) and place them according to your liking near your eyes.

Then pick a similar eyeshadow shade to your liner and lightly dab it on top of the sticker.

Peel off the star and add a white liner to add more dimension.

Don’t hesitate to step out of your comfort zone and try a new look to express yourself!

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KEY TO REVISION

When it comes to exams, we find it difficult to motivate ourselves to revise. The stress overwhelms us, and we can’t think straight about how to prepare properly. We all have different ways of how knowledge seeps into our brains. The best approach is to first find and understand the best revision methods that work for you.

By Imaan Hassan

Revision Cards

Using small pieces of cards, make questions about a topic on one side and the answer on the other side. Test yourself and whatever you don’t get right, put it in another pile, then keep going over and over until you know the correct answers. You can also use revision cards for getting down information you need to memorise, such as quotes or short facts.

Blurting

This method is fairly easy. Read one topic in one go. Then write all the information you remember. Until you can’t remember anything else, keep writing. At the end go through the topic and write down whatever you haven’t written down in a different colour. That way you know your weak spots and can learn the information.

Mind Maps

For each topic make a mind map and from the bubble make other lines to subheadings then around those subheadings add as much detail as you can for it. This way all of the information is categorised and easy to learn.

Teaching Oneself

Read the information you need to learn and then teach it as if you have a group of people in front of you. This helps you understand what you are saying even further and helps you remember it.

Watching Videos

On YouTube there are many videos to help with the subject you are trying to learn. By searching your topic many videos come up. If you need a second person to help you then use videos and watch through them even make notes during it.

Past Paper Questions

To understand the mark scheme and what is required to achieve the marks, do past papers. Not only does it expand your knowledge and you look at the answers to see if it’s right but you also know what the examiner is looking for in the exam giving you an advantage.

These are some of the many ways you can revise. All you need to do is find the one that suits you best.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

Have you been going through something mentally but do not know who to talk to? Do you want someone to listen to your struggles? Have you ever needed help or advice with your mental health but do not know where to go? Well, look no further! This article will outline five mental health services that can help ease your struggles.

By Whitney Aigoukhian

1. Samaritans

Samaritans is a charity dedicated to reducing feelings of isolation and disconnection as well as providing emotional support to people in emotional distress or at risk of suicide. They are a phone call away at any time, day or night, 365 days a year.

If you need someone to listen to your struggles, call Samaritans for free. Dial 116 123.

2. Kooth

Kooth is an anonymous site that helps children and young people to feel safe and confident in unpacking their concerns and seeking professional support. Qualified counsellors are online seven days a week to help young people using the service with online counselling, through chat-based messaging via drop-in or booked sessions. They provide personalised mental health support.

Visit the Kooth website: www.kooth.com

3. CAMHS

CAMHS is a free service run by your local NHS and is made up of medical and mental health professionals. They assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural, or mental health difficulties. They can help if you are going through mental health issues such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts, or self-harm.

Visit the CAMHS website: www.gmintegratedcare.org.uk

4. Mind

Mind is a mental health charity that provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing mental health problems. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They have an Infoline where they answer questions about types of mental health problems, where to get help, treatment options and advocacy services.

Infoline: 0300 123 3393

Visit the Mind website: www.mind.org.uk

5. CALM

CALM stands for Campaign against Living

Miserably and is a leading movement against suicide. Through their campaigns, they challenge stereotypes and challenge the stigma that prevents people talking about suicide. You can talk to CALM about anything either through the helpline or the webchat.

Helpline: 0800 58 58 58

Webchat: www.thecalmzone.net/getsupport#open-calmbot

THE ART-ICLE

During the Covid pandemic, many people were stressed and agitated about when things would get back to normal - this ultimately affected millions. The effects were not just physical but mental, too, with upsetting thoughts eating away at their minds. However, despite the fact that people were troubled by the global pandemic, several found ways to take their minds off things and discovered how to keep themselves occupied in a healthy way. One thing that helped people (including me) was art. If you make art, it can be a way to express yourself, and if you observe art, your mind can come up with endless interpretations, keeping you distracted from upsetting things! Therefore, this article will be about my three favourite art pieces!

By Mahanoor Zaman

1. Japanese Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies

Claude Monet

Claude Monet loved to paint water lilies, as well as other landscapes - that is why he is one of my favourite artists! His main goal was to leave an impression on people, and although this art piece doesn’t have a deep meaning, it is still an aesthetically pleasing picture to look at! Even if there was no extremely heartfelt cause to paint. This skill definitely left an impression on me!

2. Illustrated Portrait

Nicolle Florian

Cultural imperialism ruined the indigenous cultures of South Africa through colonisation via control of the media. “Imperialist forces manipulate sentiments around culture to continue oppression, thereby eroding the own culture of people” - Thele Moema. South Africans along with many other African countries would work and aspire to benefit these overseas countries, instead of working to build up their own cultures and wealth. This is one of the reasons why Africa is currently stagnant economically.

3. I am Nobody who are you? - Dominic Beyeler

The art that Dominic Beyeler produces is strongly linked to identity, and this piece portrays just that. The words across the person’s face are an example of how some people genuinely think of themselves, or how others see them. It could represent not knowing who you are to the point where you class yourself as a “Nobody”. The slight messiness to the piece adds to the confusion a person could feel with their identity, and it is definitely a piece several people could relate to.

To me, these pieces are things that I can relate to and/or enjoy looking at. Art is mainly about leaving an impact and expressing yourself. Although art might not be a way you personally want to express yourself through, you can’t deny that looking at all of these paintings please your eyes!

STRUGGLING WITH GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE?

If you’ve just started year 10 or 11, then you’re probably wondering how on God’s green Earth anyone in their right mind can memorise 18 poems (including their annotations of course), the poet’s context, the structure of the poem as well as 2 plays and a novel. It does sound almost impossible. But there are things you can do to work around this…

1. Only pick 7-8 quotes from each poem and analyse them

These quotes should become your best friends within weeks, by analysing and memorising a small amount, your workload decreases drastically. This is because those 8 quotes can be manipulated to suit each question. If you are asked to write about love in a poem that links closely to death, you could say “the poet strategically romanticises death so that readers become comfortable with the idea of life being temporary…”

2. Read and highlight key words in example grade 9 answers

By plucking out techniques such as similes or metaphors used to describe something, you could gain extra marks by making your writing flow by using these phrases in your answer, instead of it sounding repetitive. For example “as the proverbial curtain rises…”most students don’t use the word “proverbial” hence making your writing memorable to the marker, gaining you those extra marks.

3. When revising a novel, make a list of ALL lines each character says

It sounds like a time wasting technique, except it isn’t because you’ll find most characters’ dialogue has a recurring pattern. We see this when Romeo and Juliet refer to each other as “flowers” or “buds”, creating a motif of fragile, new life, resembling their innocence. This also gives you a better understanding of the novel and characters, as well as giving you more to write about as each motif can link to every character and theme because it is continuously repeated throughout.

Most importantly, don’t focus too much on something you know won’t help you. Attempt things that you know you struggle with to make your revision more productive.

By Khadijah Malji

HOW TO COPE BETTER WITH YOUR ANXIETY

We all face anxiety at some point in our life. However, for some people, it has a greater impact on their lives than it often does for others. It may trigger panic attacks and be a major hindrance while attempting to accomplish goals or take advantage of opportunities. The symptoms of a panic attack include chest aches, hyperventilation, heart palpitations, shaking, restlessness, dizziness, etc. You can learn many techniques in this article that will assist you to better manage and control your anxiety. Although I suggest trying out several techniques to discover which works or suits you the best.

Recognising when a panic attack is about to commence is one of the first steps in learning how to manage or cope with the intense anxiety. Everyone experiences symptoms differently, so you should be aware of any symptoms you may experience prior to or during a panic attack. Knowing your symptoms can allow you to remove yourself from triggering settings or situations if necessary and eventually apply techniques that can help reduce the symptoms before they become uncontrollable. There are many different methods one may adopt to cope; you just need to pick the one that works best for you and your body.

By Umama Sajal

Here are some coping strategies you can use to control your anxiety:

Engaging With Your Senses

You can experience confusion and disorientation from anxiety, which mostly affects your senses. One of the best ways to control an anxiety attack is to engage with your senses to bring yourself back to the present moment. For each of your senses, you should state three things using this strategy. Three things that are heard, three that are visible, and three that are felt. This helps you concentrate on where you are and what is going on around you while allowing you to turn your attention away from the anxiety you are feeling. While switching your attention during a panic attack is easier said than done, it should work if you really try. This technique is highly helpful because it can be used anywhere and in your own brain or tiny bubble and also helps you to assist in de-escalating your own anxiety without drawing unwanted attention.

Focused Breathing

Breathlessness is one of the many symptoms of anxiety. You can calm down by paying attention to your breathing. One approach to achieve this is to take deep, calm breaths through your nose, filling your lungs to a comfortable level and naturally. Hold it for a few seconds before exhaling through your mouth slowly and gently. Repeat this pattern after counting to 5 until you start to feel a little more at ease and can breathe more normally.

These are just a few techniques that can help you cope with your anxiety. However, if you’re unable to cope on your own please don’t hesitate to call the Samaritans on 116 123 or use their Self-Help app (www.selfhelp.samaritans.org)

SPOTLIGHT: ARRIVE COMMUNITY

Our young leaders couldn’t stop talking about the industry insight session they had with the Arrive Community team on our latest Leadership Programme. The session focused on the power behind social media marketing and how the Arrive team structured their day-to-day work lives.

Arrive is a flexible, collaborative and nurturing community born in MediaCity and, due to its success, is expanding throughout the UK. The session was led by three of Arrive’s star employees. Rebekah, Joe and Rosie shared their respective job roles and their individual stories, which shed light on both good and hard times throughout life. Ultimately their journeys had put them in their current positions, and our young people were thrilled to hear how they got to where they are today!

Our young leaders have rounded up their main takeaways and shared the advice they got from Arrive.

This is what our young people had to say about the session.

What was the main thing you took away from this Industry Insight?

“I really liked how they all came from different backgrounds and how they managed to get where they are today was really inspiring. As the company clearly realised it’s not about grades but it’s intelligence in other ways which the employees clearly showed. The main thing I took away was that there are good jobs out there and you don’t need to know straight away what you want do with your life”

Zara Issa

Which

aspect of Arrive interested you the most?

“I was interested by their commitment to nurturing and wanting to help grow small businesses. They seemed like they really wanted to help people through a community which is creative and innovative. It was interesting how Arrive did not just want to give a workspace to businesses but also provide a flexible and open community to benefit everyone!”

Aaliah Patel

Rebekah Beere

Joanna Thorne Rosie Lloyd

What is something that surprised you about this industry?

“Well I didn’t really know much about Media City before and it surprised me how so much goes on there. and i didn’t really know that there were multiple jobs within social media marketing in general so it was interesting to learn more about what goes on in social media jobs and how I can get the most out of these opportunities”

Mahanoor Zaman

ADVICE AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM ARRIVE:

Here is some advice given by the Arrive team if social media marketing is a career pathway you’re interested in!

Consider a degree in communications or marketing

Stay up to date with industry tools & tech, such as softwares from schedulers to content managers and social AI to how platform algorithms work

Look for social media opportunities everywhere - if you’re looking to get started with a career in social media start by focusing on your personal platforms and growing them

Be comfortable working and learning on your own

Build an online portfolio and show it off

Volunteering to help charities/community groups with their content and add this to your portfolio

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

Youth Leads participated in the coproduced, youth-led World Mental Health Day event created by the Bolton Youth Council. Our outstanding Alumni helped by sharing their ideas, creating social media videos and assisting on the day by running activities. The youth-led steering group wanted to highlight the Bolton-born campaign ‘#BeKindToMyMind’ to promote early intervention and support for young people’s mental health. This event also sought to prevent young people from viewing CAMHS as the end goal and the only service available to them.

The World Mental Health Day event was an incredible showcase of young people coming together, sharing their stories and raising awareness of youth mental health in Bolton.

We created an activity where young people created imaginary mental health support care packages to send to someone who is struggling with their mental health.

For more information, head to www bekindtomymind.co.uk

The Be Kind to My Mind event was a really insightful experience exploring youth mental health. Speaking to the organisations at the event and taking part in activities helped me understand the importance of mental health and how to get help if and when I need it. I enjoyed the experience because mental health matters and this event was so important to help deliver this message!

- Aaliah Patel, 18

By Aaliah Patel & Bethany Peel

One of our young people who spoke about her experience at the event said,

YOUTH-DESIGNED SEXUAL HEALTH SURVEY NOW LIVE

Bolton residents can win a £50 voucher for helping to improve their local services.

The Bolton Youth Healthcare Transformation Board (YHTB) was set up in October 2021 to understand the experiences of Bolton’s young people on their 0-19 healthcare services. Since then, they have discussed everything healthcare - from mental health and wellbeing, to ‘social prescribing’ and their right to confidentiality as young patients. The Board have made recommendations to Directors of Bolton’s NHS Foundation Trust, Charity CEOs and have now created their own Sexual Health Survey to create positive change for the people in their community.

The survey aims to understand the views, experiences and understanding of sexual health as a whole, as well as services and support available to them in their borough.

Alisha Issa, Chair of the Bolton Youth Healthcare Transformation Board, said:

“I believe the future of healthcare has the potential to be even more inclusive and adaptive for young people and their families. We hope that communities appreciate the value that sharing this survey will have on empowering people with confidence when it comes to their sexual health.”

Throughout the engagement, the YHTB have discussed their own experiences of accessing sexual health education and treatment. When asked about the negative effects of poor sexual health education, one Board member replied that “you’re more at risk of making dangerous decisions”.

Implications of this lack of awareness for an ageing population were also discussed - “when you’re older, you may pass on misinformation to others, putting yourself and others at risk”.

To them, there is an evident gap in sexual health education, for all ages within their community. They decided to tackle the ‘taboo’ of sexual health to ensure nobody is left without safe and reliable sexual health support, whatever that looks like to them.

An open letter has been published by the Youth Board, and is available on our website: youthleads.uk/SHSurvey, along with campaign materials for organisations and charities. The survey itself can also be accessed through our site, or via the link in our Instagram bio (@youthleadsuk).

By Lucy Dunkerley

ARE YOU 14-24 YEARS OLD?!

Joining Youth Leads gives you the chance to develop your skills, realise your potential and create positive change in your community!

Across three months, you’ll help create a magazine, conduct a fashion shoot, write articles, and plan the delivery of a social action project to make things better in your area.

Find out when we’re recruiting on Twitter or Instagram

@YouthLeadsUK

@YouthLeadsUK