Being a teenager can be really tough. Our brains are changing, and we are put under increasing pressure from schools to succeed, from peers to fit in and even society as a whole.
Carla and Romany are braving the heat today to talk about Kids Inspire, a local children’s mental health charity, who offer a range of therapeutic and community activities for children, young people and families around Essex. From creative arts therapies to trauma resolution, services run by Kids Inspire helped to support 4,032 children and their families between May 2022 and April 2023.
Kids inspire also go beyond the clinical support, offering step-down services such as The Voice - a peer group that gives young people aged 12-18 a chance to make friends, learn life skills, and learn about self-identity in a safe space.
To help with the weather here at EIJ 2024, the team are encouraging everyone to be their own biggest fan – and to make their own! They’ve also got Mini Me’s, complete with self-affirmations, bubbles and some bright and colourful worry dolls - lovingly knitted by volunteers from Chelmsford CVS, which have a pouch for kids to store their worries.
Neither Carla or Romany have ever been to a Jamboree before, but they were very excited to come along after hearing about the event. In fact, the pair seemed to be completely enamoured by the spectacle – Carla in particular said “it reminds me of my time at Guide camp – but we never had a cinema tent!”
They’re only here today, so if you would like to find out more about Kids Inspire and the work they do – or perhaps sign up yourself as a volunteer – be sure to visit them outside All About Me, All About Us, or visit their website: www.kidsinspire.org.uk.
