There is a clear area of need for both poor mental health and wellbeing, and physical inactivity of young people (17-25 years), who are going through a potentially destabilising time as they transition into early adulthood. This can have a considerable impact on individuals being able to live life to their full potential, and in addition to spiralling poor mental health, it can have a negative impact on employability, physical health and the ability to make positive life choices.
This project aims to work closely with locally trusted community-based organisations across the 12 Essex County Council districts who are supporting young adults’ emotional wellbeing, including physical activity interventions, across Essex. The project will help build on this approach to ensure the mental health needs of young people are being met, whilst taking a person-centred and joined-up approach to community support. Further training and upskilling of these organisations, to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of those young people facing this transition period, would be provided as a key part of this project.
There is a focus on young people who are already supported through our Sport and Youth Mental Health Project, where there is clearly an identifiable need to continue to support these individuals when they turn 18 years old, as well as targeting other groups such as care leavers, those who are not in education, employment or training, and young people that are care transitioning from clinical mental health services.
Our long-term aim is to reduce inequalities and help young people thrive in Essex through ensuring equitable access to local community-based support for their mental health, using physical activity alongside other support, and improve co-ordination of this support with the wider health system for 17–25-year-olds, through this key life transition.
