The initiative was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help provide support for thousands of people aged up to 25.
The programme itself utilises a blended approach, using football sessions, group workshops and one-to-one mentoring to educate students around mental health subjects whilst also equipping them with the tools to regulate their own mental wellbeing in a post COVID-19 landscape.
The money raised will help the charity maximise the impact of the programme, allowing us to expand the reach of our sessions and increase the face-to-face contact that we can have with young people across the city.
Jason El-Kaleh, CITC’s Mental Health Officer, said: “The past 18 months have been tough for everyone in our city, with the pandemic increasing the uncertainty and change in our everyday lives considerably.
“With this in mind, we want to acknowledge the impact that this period has had on everyone’s mental wellbeing and help to support people across the Greater Manchester area by challenging the stigma round mental health conversations whilst also educating our participants in the importance of self-care and other mental health subjects.”
CITC have partnered with the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to offer this holistic approach to mental health support for our participants across Greater Manchester.
As part of this new partnership, we will also have a designated CAMHS practitioner based within CITC four days a week to aid with concerns and advice throughout our programmes.
The programme helps its participants in many ways, with some saying: “It taught me ways to prevent mental ill health and understanding the signs and symptoms off mental ill health,” Mohammed, Age 18.
“I learnt a lot about mental health…I feel more motivated and that I can open up more now,” Kail, Age 22.
“It [the programme] has affected my understanding positively…and has raised my awareness of mental health,” Dion, Age 18.
Jason continued to discuss the development of the project and how funding raised will help in the future.
He said: “Our mental wellbeing provision has now launched in a number of schools and youth clubs across the Greater Manchester area, with hundreds of young people already being impacted weekly.
“The funding that we have raised so far will help us continue to grow our reach and maximise the impact that we can have on young people across the city as we continue to challenge the stigma associated with mental health.”
If you’d like to make a donation towards City Thrive this month, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/CITC35
To keep an eye on everything that’s happening across City in the Community during its 35th anniversary, search #CITC35 on social media.
