An urgent appeal has gone out for volunteers to help youngsters struggling to cope with mental health issues.
See Me, the Scotland-wide programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, is looking for young Fife volunteers, aged 16 to 25, to help young people to speak about mental health so they can get the information and support they need.
Fife is one of three key areas where the group needs to find volunteers.
They will support See Me to deliver training for young people aged between 11 and 18 to tackle stigma and improve the mental health of children and young people.
See Me carried out research with 885 young people and discovered only 37% would tell someone if they were finding it difficult to cope with their mental health, compared to 78% who would tell someone if they were physically ill.
When asked how they cope with negative thoughts only 21% said they would speak to someone who supports them, 46% would rather stay by themselves and 50% would cope by crying.
Zoe Mason, a See Me volunteer from Dunfermline, said: “Two years ago I applied to volunteer with See Me and I can’t believe how much I’ve changed.
“I’ve grown and been given the chance to do so many amazing things that I never would have imagined I would have the confidence to do.
“This is a chance to meet like-minded people, have your voice heard, develop new skills and have some fun.”
Its education and young people’s manager Laura Sharpe added: “The only way to end mental health stigma and discrimination for children and young people is to work alongside them, actively involving, engaging and empowering them to lead the change they hope to see in the world.
“Fife is one of three key areas in Scotland where we need young people who can help us to identify the difficulties people their age face and work on ways to improve them.
“Mental health impacts on every aspect of young people’s lives and we need them to know that it is okay not to be okay.”
Find out more at www.seemescotland.org.
