New wellbeing drop-ins and workshops for Market Drayton youths

The Shropshire Youth Association is bringing its Heads Up Project to Market Drayton, offering children in school years 7 to 11 the chance to chat with a youth worker one-on-one.

It will give them the opportunity to discuss their worries, mental health issues and the strains of living through the coronavirus pandemic.

Beckie Thackeray, the leader of Heads Up Market Drayton, said: "Basically it's a service where young people can drop in and have one-to-one chat with a trained youth worker. This could be if they are feeling low, struggling with their feelings or emotions or just want someone to talk to somebody and get some extra support.

"We'll also be putting on workshops on various subjects each week to raise awareness and help young people understand their feelings and develop new coping strategies. They could come once or regularly if they wanted to.

"The name Heads Up came from a project that Shropshire Young Health Champions did with some young people in Bishops Castle. They put together a pack to be sent out to schools on various subjects to do with emotional health and well-being to help other young people.

"We'll be using these in our sessions but also adapting them and adding things in based on the needs of the young people.

"We aren't trained counsellors and we're not a shortcut to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) – we're just there to give some extra support and raise awareness.

"I think this is a great time to start something like this, young people have had an extremely difficult year with Covid-19 and all the changes they've had to adapt to as well as being off school for such a long time."

The first drop-in will be held on Friday, October 2 at the Zone centre. Face coverings should be worn. To find out more, email beckie@sya.org.uk.

Visit facebook.com/HeadsUpMarketDrayton to keep up to date with any changes to the rules on meeting up.