PRESSURE
‘An urgent need; to influence’
In our ever-changing world, there is a growing awareness that we are facing fundamental challenges. In this current climate, we believe in the need for progressive social change. Progress will flourish through amplifying your voice, which in turn will pressure key decision-makers to implement changes we will all benefit from.
We will work in collaboration with young people, schools, universities and other charities to PRESSURE key decision makers and champion positive change.
PREVENT
‘To act ahead of; forestall’
The world has changed rapidly in recent years and as a result children and young people are facing unrelenting pressures that are unique to their generation. It is critical to recognise that there is a mental health crisis amongst young people today and that addressing it will require a determined and sustained response from Government. We are campaigning for far more investment in
“PRIMARY PREVENTION.”
PROMOTE
‘To help or encourage to exist or flourish further.’
It is not enough to start considering mental well-being when a person starts to struggle. Proactive steps must be taken to promote and protect mental well-being as part of our daily life.
We are striving to PROMOTE the importance of
“PRIMARY PREVENTION.”
“There comes a point when we need to just stop pulling people out of the river.
We need to get upstream and find out why they are falling in” - Desmond Tutu
DID YOU KNOW that our current approach to Mental Health in this country is based upon intervention and crisis management, with very little attention or investment in Primary Prevention. Our current national prevention strategy seems to be limited to campaigns to encourage people to talk so that the problem doesn’t grow. But when the talking doesn’t work and the problem does grow we have early intervention schemes that are in the main under funded and under resourced so each scheme comes with a waiting list. It is not unusual for the waiting time to be over a year long. A long waiting list makes ‘early intervention’ ineffective so sadly many of those waiting will get worse, they will end up needing ‘crisis intervention’ as mandated under the Mental Health Act, for some it will be too late.
WHAT IS PRIMARY PREVENTION?
WHAT IS SOCIETY DOING ABOUT THIS?
The nations’ response seems to be to dismiss young people as ‘snowflakes’ and tell them they should be more resilient, as though resilience is an attitude that you choose to switch on or off… It isn’t! Resilience is dependent upon protective factors and structures that support young people to navigate the challenges they face. Research shows that at a societal level, there are none, and so we wait until they fall in the river and hope that we can catch them down stream. Please read the following PDF for more on this research.
DID YOU REALISE that the Mental Health Act only legislates crisis management and treatment, we have no legislation that mandates PRIMARY PREVENTION.
It has been this way for many years, but the world has changed beyond recognition in the last 2 decades and our approach to mental health needs to catch up. There are calls for more investment in early intervention schemes, and we support these unreservedly, but why stop there? Or more importantly, why start with early intervention?
Why not invest in Primary Prevention and equip young people with the skills, tools, unconscious competencies, to navigate the challenges of this modern world? This would reduce the numbers of young people developing poor mental health, it would reduce the numbers seeking early intervention, the numbers on a waiting list, which would reduce the numbers reaching crisis point and reduce the numbers of young people ending their own lives.
We are in crisis and more of the same is not going to solve it. That is why we are calling for an Act that mandates Primary Prevention in the same way the Mental Health Act mandates crisis intervention and treatment.
“Primary Prevention should not be left to sound bites, bumper stickers, fridge magnets and google searches”. - Anonymous
It’s Our Day are calling for an Act that Mandates PRIMARY PREVENTION that would see mental health education mandatory in all schools in the same way as physical health, it is the single most important thing we can do to ensure that children and young people are prepared for the challenges and pressures of modern life. Campaigning for an Act of such significance is not going to be easy but it can be achieved if everyone comes together and demands it.
Together we are strong!
Together we will be heard!
Together we will make a meaningful difference!
Campaigns that need your help:
PROMOTE
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PREVENT
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PRESSURE
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PROMOTE • PREVENT • PRESSURE •
