Join Dudley Youth Health Forum!

****VERY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE****

We are extremely pleased to offer the exciting opportunity for young people of Dudley aged 13-18 years (or up to 25years old if you have a learning disability) to join a new Dudley Youth Health Forum.

The Youth Health Forum will give young people the opportunity to have a voice on health issues, provide feedback, thoughts and ideas on health issues that matter to them most. We want you to help us shape and improve future services in Dudley, to be able to help support children and young people in transition to adulthood, and to give you the opportunity for valuable volunteering experience.

Our first online get together is on:

Tuesday 2^nd March 2021

17:00- 18:15pm

If you are interested in joining us, please register your interest on eventbrite using the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dudley-young-health-forum-tickets-14270278085

Once you have registered you will be sent a Microsoft Teams link on Monday afternoon by email

Please note that due to the age range of the youth forum you will not be able to attend the events unless you have provided us with written consent from parents/carers prior to your first online meeting. If you need a consent form please email Claire McCafferty at claire.mccafferty@nhs.net

For safeguarding reasons all online meetings will be recorded.

So come and meet new friends, be a part of something big and progressive, join us to have your say.

We hope you can join us 😊The new youth forum is a partnership between Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Dudley Young Health Champions, Dudley MBC and Healthwatch Dudley

Faye, Claire, Lori and Nic

Young people’s views wanted on the DRAFT local offer site before it is launched

The local Authority is getting ready to launch its brand new ‘Local Offer’ Website – this is a one stop resource of information and services available for children and young people (aged 0-25) with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), their parents, carers, families and professionals.

The Local Authority is really interested in hearing what young people, parent/carers and professionals think of draft website https://dudleyci.co.uk/send-local-offer This is currently NOT available to the public and the plan is to launch it at the end of March.

The LA wants to understand if the Local Offer website is helpful, easy to use and provides you with the information you need so please take a look and complete this quick online survey https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/dudleylocaloffer by 10 March to tell us your views.

Volunteering opportunity for young people: Become a Young Covid Health Champion @WeAreBCR @DudleyCCG @dycdudley @DudleyVols @HWDudley @dudleymbc @DudleyCVS @cildudley

Dudley Young Health Champions and Healthwatch Dudley are working in partnership with DMBC Public Health to roll out a ‘Young Covid Health Champions’ initiative. The project is not only supporting attempts to end this Pandemic, but also providing young people with much needed opportunities to volunteer and develop their skills during times of restrictions and lock down.  The aim of the project is to ensure that accurate and helpful information on the Pandemic reaches the general public. Young people that sign up are provided with an interactive, online information session on what the role of a Young Covid Champion involves. Young Covid Champions will then be provided with up to date, accurate information on advice from central government and public health that you will be asked to promote on social media, friends and family. In addition young people are a group that have been massively affected in terms of mental health and to support positive mental well-being, DYHC will be providing YCHC with information and support that they can signpost peers to, for example the Izone Website (www.izone.org.uk)

We are running another Young Covid Health Champion information sessions for young people on: Thursday 11^th February 6-7pm – if you would like to join either sessions us please email me DYHC Young Person’s Project Coordinator to fayehall@dudleycvs.org.uk

Children’s Mental Health Week

By Donna CVS

Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place on 1-7 February 2021. This year’s theme is Express Yourself.

Expressing yourself is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity. This could be through art, music, writing and poetry, dance and drama, photography and film, and doing activities that make you feel good.

The Children’s Mental Health website has lots of free resources that will help children and young people to explore what it means to Express Yourself. All of the ideas can be adapted for use in school, for home-schooling, online lessons or independent learning. 

You can get more information from a Place2B which is a children’s mental health charity with over 25 years’ experience working with pupils, families and staff in UK schools.

Today is ‘Time to Talk Day’ …. let’s talk about Mental Health

Never has the need to to talk about mental health been so important. Children and Young People are experiencing a worrying increase in mental health challenges due to the social isolation, loneliness and pressures created by the global Pandemic.

Today we encourage you all to start conversations about mental health and remove the stigma …. one conversation can make so much difference. For more information please visit Time to Talk

Also please remember there are lots of useful and trusted sources of local and national support via IZONE

You are not alone – it is Time to Talk 🙂

OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER AND BECOME A YOUNG COVID HEALTH CHAMPION!!

Dudley Young Health Champions and Healthwatch Dudley are working in partnership with DMBC Public Health to roll out a ‘Young Covid Health Champions’ initiative. The project is not only supporting attempts to end this Pandemic, but also providing young people with much needed opportunities to volunteer and develop their skills during times of restrictions and lock down.  The aim of the project is to ensure that accurate and helpful information on the Pandemic reaches the general public. Young people that sign up are provided with an interactive, online information session on what the role of a Young Covid Champion involves. Young Covid Champions will then be provided with up to date, accurate information on advice from central government and public health that you will be asked to promote on social media, friends and family. In addition young people are a group that have been massively affected in terms of mental health and to support positive mental well-being, DYHC will be providing YCC with information and support that they can signpost peers to, for example the Izone Website (www.izone.org.uk).

We are running two Young Covid Health Champion information sessions for young people on: Thursday 4^th February 6-7pm and Thursday 11^th February 6-7pm – if you would like to join either sessions us please email me stating which session you would like to join to fayehall@dudleycvs.org.uk

PROJECT CONNECT: addressing loneliness and isolation for young people aged 11-25

We would like to let you know about a new initiative called CONNECT Exciting, Free, Virtual activities for young people! – Dudley (CYPF) Network It’s a 6-week project that provides various free, virtual activities to young people to help combat loneliness and isolation.

Please click on the link to find out more and please could professionals share with students and YHC with their friends and networks. Loneliness / isolation is not something any of us want to experience, but unfortunately it is a consequence of the Pandemic that projects such as this aim to address.

MINDFULLNESS and YOUNG PEOPLE

STOP. BREATH. THINK.

Snow-Camp has launched Stop.Breathe.Think, a mindfulness campaign using drill music to help tackle knife crime. The campaign brings together drill artists and mindfulness experts to provide mindfulness techniques to help young people manage their emotions. Young people across the UK can sign up for a free series of mindfulness tutorials and free 1-1-counselling sessions, no questions asked: https://www.snow-camp.org.uk/stopbreathethinkcampaign/

Supporting our families in Dudley

Dudley Young Health Champions have been part of the team working with families in Dudley who need that that little bit extra help and support during half term. We have helped coordinate requests for help from families through staffing the emergency phone line and just TODAY made sure that 40 children in Dudley get the basics they need this half term.

Please support us or support your local foodbank and help brighten the lives of the the people we live and work with in Dudley.

There are so many local organisations, partners and business who want to help too!

Child Food Poverty – Help this half term.

Help with food for children this half term

Child Food Poverty – Help this half term.

Child Food Poverty – Help this half term.

If your family needs help with food for children, or you work work with a family that needs help then please click on the link to find a list of local organisations and businesses that are providing support to families during half term