YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH
The origins of my career
Youth Mental Health is so crucial to our whole society 'working well'. With 50% of adult mental health issues presenting before age 14, and 75% before the early 20's; we know it is a vitally important time to educate and support mental health. Yet, it continues to be underfunded and misunderstood...
My early career was all about adolescent mental health, and I remain so passionate about this topic. I still regularly give talks, training courses, and consultancy for projects focused on youth mental health.
I truly believe in extending our view of young people or adolescents to beyond the binary divide of adult/child when somebody reaches age 18. We need to think about the whole demographic from age 13-25, and the unique social, emotional, and hormonal changes for this group. Not to mention, the unique brain development that we now know is happening until age 25.
I have extensive experience working in adolescent mental health. From parliamentary work, to strategy, to consulting on innovation, to running projects directly with young people.
I will never stop in my fight to improve youth mental health through innovation, through education, and using technology.
We CAN do better, and I am determining to keep making change.
AWARDS
Rotary Community Champion Award
The Diana Award - Changemaker
Rotary Young Citizen of the Year
UWE Student Union - Special Recognition Award
Business Insider: 'Cambridge Students to Watch'
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
TEDx talk - "Why we need to re-brand adolescent mental health"
Key speaker at the first ever Cambridge Union debate on mental health
Researched & wrote Wise Up Report and launched in parliament
Keynote speaker for UNICEF Asia on youth mental health
Judge for international youth mental health innovation awards
Trained 200+ educators, social care professionals, teachers, nursery staff in youth mental health awareness
Ran multiple youth mental health organisations including Student Minds Cambridge
Successfully campaigned for a new multi-million pound youth NHS mental health unit with my family's charity The Invictus Trust
Led a university mental health strategy for 35,000 students
Ran wellbeing behaviour programmes for young people
Consulted on youth MH tech including virtual reality, apps, and online counselling
TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH!
Project consultancy, keynote speeches, podcasts, panel talks, training, report or book contributions and more
