In these unprecedented times NYY staff have found themselves like many others, working from home. NYY have gone virtual with meetings and our youth clubs, which has been a learning curve. We have continued to not only run our own services virtually but also access and learn from others.
The Youth Development Team at NYY have recently received some fantastic on-line training from Emma Handford from KOOTH which informed all our staff about the great service that they offer to young people and we are now able to share this information with young people in our youth clubs and projects.
KOOTH is a safe, free, anonymous mental health counselling and well-being service, specifically for young people aged 11 to 18 years old. Available in a simple and easy to use, free App, young people can receive professional counselling. There is a chat facility where young people can talk/text qualified counsellors, read articles written by young people, get support from the KOOTH community, write a daily journal, mood tracking, self-help materials as well as access useful information and links. It is currently available to over half a million 12 to 25 year olds in England and Wales.
NYY staff were extremely impressed by this service and have shared this information among our young people, youth clubs, via social media and with other members of NYY. We hope by doing so we are highlighting a service that young people can access, especially at a time when things are so uncertain and unusual and when mental health and well-being is more important than ever.