Active Essex Foundation are pleased to welcome two new members of staff to deliver the Sport and Youth Mental Health Project which supports young people experiencing low levels of emotional wellbeing.
Physical activity will engage young people and in turn boost their mental wellbeing while they develop. Interventions such as this at a young age should ensure they have improved mental health as an adult. Young people between the ages of 5 and 18 will be able to access this project and join the proactive support system offered through the team.
Luke Tandy joins the team as the Sport and Youth Mental Health Project Manager. Luke has 25 years’ experience in the health sector, predominantly in the NHS as a physiotherapist. Professional and personal experience has fuelled Luke to ensure that all children and young people have equitable access and support regarding their emotional wellbeing, through working collaboratively with multiple agencies and partners across the integrated health and care system.
Luke reflected on his new role and said;
“It is a real privilege to be leading on this project and working closely with our delivery partners to use sport and physical activity to help support children and young people’s mental health, especially across some of the most disadvantaged and underserved communities in Essex.
This project will implement and evaluate the benefits of sport, physical activity, and movement on youth’s mental health and wellbeing, build the evidence for demonstrating the value of these effective and low-cost interventions, and to ensure this provision can become part of the long-term solution for helping tackle health inequalities in children and young people across the Essex health system.”
Joining Luke, Sian Cleary will assist in project operations as the Sport and Youth Mental Health Project Coordinator. Sian has spent the last six months working for Active Essex, predominantly with the Holiday Activities and Food team as an intern. Prior to this, she worked as a self-employed personal trainer and coach whilst also working as a Learning Support Assistant at Basildon Primary School.
Sian told us about her new role by saying;
“As an individual who is extremely passionate about the impact that sport and physical activity can have on mental health, I am so proud to be coordinating this project. Coming from a background working with children and young people, in addition to my own mental health struggles growing up, it is a real privilege to be part of a project working alongside a fantastic team of delivery partners to help support children and young people who need it.”
Next steps for the project will be to build the current LTO network as well as identifying the needs of various organisations and partners in terms of training. Future links with national and regional mental health projects as well as Essex County Council will advance the learnings of the team and ensure that young people are being provided the best possible support.
Find our more on our Sport and Youth Mental Health Project page: https://www.activeessexfoundation.org/projects/youth-sport-mental-health-project