· Web viewWell-Being and Resilience on The Prince’s Trust Team Programme (version . 3) Delivery . I. nformation . P. ack. for Team Leaders – January. 202. 1. Co-created by The

Well-Being and Resilience on The Prince’s Trust Team Programme

(version 3)

Delivery Information Pack for Team Leaders – January 2021

Co-created by The Prince’s Trust and YoungMinds in 2018

Contents PageSection 1- About the 2018 Project3Section 2 – Mental Health and Well-Being4Section 3 – YoungMinds work with young people and their mental well-being6Section 4- Resilience and Well-being8Section 5 - How to use this resource pack11Facilitator Guide:11Section 6 – Check-in/out and ice breakers12Section 7 – Activities and session plans16Activity summary sheet17Activity 1: Working as a group/ What is resilience, mental health and emotional well-being23Activity 2: Sleep is good for me!/ The natural sleeping pill28Activity 3: Destigmatising mental health37Activity 4: Resilient me/resilient us40Activity 5: Making sense of anxiety/Living positively with anxiety44Activity 6: Finding the goodness in things (reframing thoughts)49Activity 7: Your helping hand / being someone else’s helping hand52Activity 8: Yes, you did it! (celebrating achievements)55Activity 9: Making sense of your emotions and limitations57Activity 10: Ways to manage your stress/ the self-care jar60Activity 11: Resilience super-hero/ be your own resilience super-hero63Activity 12: Mindfulness for beginners68Activity 13 Too much on my plate! /building resilience74Activity 14: Knowing what is good for you! / knowing what is good for us!77Activity 15: Team power/ Team power in action80Activity 16: I can (not) control everything/ what I learnt during Team84Activity 17: Can you hold my balloon (worry) for me please?/ preparation for a rainy day89Activity 18: I value you/ I value me92Activity 19: (How to be your own) Masterchef/ Masterchef +95Activity 20: Getting to know your roots (strengths)/ Grafting98Activity 21: Supporting each other/ I trust you to see for me102

Section 1- About the 2018 Project

In 2018 The Prince’s Trust commissioned YoungMinds to make recommendations and produce content which embeds themes of well-being and resilience on the Team programme. During this commission YoungMinds reaffirmed that the Team programme is already doing lots to support young people and their mental health. Therefore, the recommendations made were about how The Prince’s Trust could build upon this. The introduction of the Resilience Framework[footnoteRef:1] underpins all the activities and resources which have been created as part of this project. [1: The Resilience Framework summarises a set of ideas and practices that promote resilience. ]

The aims of the project were:

1. To ensure that every young person accessing a Prince’s Trust Team programme has the opportunity to talk about mental health, well-being and resilience, and where they can get help

2. To enhance the resources available to ensure effective signposting and empower young people to access mental health self-help resources, online and offline

3. Provide effective, externally recognised, approaches in the prevention and early intervention of mental health issues for young people

The Resource Pack

This resource pack will provide Team Leaders and those delivering the Team programme, with information and practical activities to deliver to young people to develop their resilience and support their well-being.

Background information and context:

The activities in this pack have been designed to introduce conversations about well-being and mental health into the Team programme. They are not intended to make you clinicians or experts in mental health, but they should help you to make the most of the opportunities on Team, to help young people understand their mental health & well-being and how they can look after themselves and build their resilience.

Participation and the voice of young people is central to everything that we do at YoungMinds. As YoungMinds is a national mental health charity we have also brought insight and experience of the young people around the UK that we interact with on a daily basis, including those who have lived experience of mental health challenges.

Throughout the activities we take an asset focused [footnoteRef:2]and positive approach to looking at how we can support young people, rather than diagnose them. YoungMinds have consulted with Prince’s Trust staff and delivery partners, as well as young people who have been through the Team and other Prince’s Trust programmes to give us some insight in to the sorts of worries and issues young people have, as well as what helps them to overcome these. One of the things that came out strongly from the young people was that they prefer the term well-being, so that is what we will refer to throughout. [2: Aims to promote and strengthen the factors that support positive mental health and good well-being.]

Section 2 – Mental Health and Well-Being

Defining mental well-being

To begin to explore mental well-being, we must first understand what we mean by the term ‘mental well-being’.

“The strength and capacity of our minds to grow and develop, to be able to overcome difficulties and challenges and to make the most of our abilities and opportunities”

YoungMinds definition of mental well-being (2006)

This definition focuses on young people and is very neutral. Often when we talk about mental well-being people immediately think of the negative aspects of certain mental health disorders such as depression or self-harm. But just like physical health people can have good mental health or have problems that they need help to overcome.

Mental Health Continuum[footnoteRef:3] [3: For this project this can also be referenced as the Mental Well-being Continuum.]

We often describe mental health as a continuum - we are all at different places on that continuum at any given time, depending on our lives and what might be happening for us. We may move up and down from day to day, week to week or even year to year.

It is important that we remember that EVERYONE has mental health, we may be at different places on the continuum but we all have mental health.

If we are working with young people we will recognise that some young people are better able to stick to the positive end of the continuum than others. This is why the activities in this pack are focussed on helping to keep young people on the positive side of the mental health continuum, by improving their well-being, building resilience and introducing self-care, as well as knowing when to enlist the support of other agencies.

Risk - Protective Factors and Building Resilience

What makes some young people better able to cope with the challenges that they face than others and how can we help to build their resilience?

There are a number of different risk factors[footnoteRef:4] that will shape how likely young people are to develop issues with their mental well-being e.g. we know young people who are homeless or young people with disabilities are statistically more likely to develop mental health issues. All young people will be living with risk factors – every young person will have their own context of adversity. As professionals working with young people it helps if we understand the risk factors in a young person’s life, so that we can think of ways to try and mitigate them by identifying protective factors[footnoteRef:5] we can build in. There will be risk factors that we can’t do anything about for a young person – but we can still think of protective factors and ways to build resilience to help young people be able to cope with them better. [4: Risk factors are characteristic that are associated with a higher likelihood of poor mental well-being. ] [5: Protective factors are characteristics that help balance the likelihood of poor mental well-being.]

Section 3 – YoungMinds work with young people and their mental well-being

What young people say

Young people tell us that they still feel a huge stigma when talking about mental health issues. This has got better in recent years as mental health and well-being has become more widely spoken about, however it certainly still exists. The impact of this stigma is that it acts as a barrier for young people expressing how they feel or telling someone if they are worried about their mental health or well-being.

One of the most important things that we can do is remember that all behaviour is communication. All young people's behaviour is a communication of an underlying issue that they need help with. Until they get help with the underlying issue, the behaviour will be very difficult to change. This is particularly important with issues such as conduct disorder and self-harm.

It is vital for us to create a safe and non-judgemental environment for young people to talk about, and understand, their feelings. One of the main things that young people worry about is being judged, by their peers, the people who work with them and the wider community. So it is important for staff to reassure young people that they are free to talk about anything they are concerned about, in an entirely judgement free environment.

When we ask young people about what and who helps them with their mental health and well-being they talk mainly about the people around them every day. They will talk about those people and places closest to them as having greatest impact on helping or hindering them. In the Resilience Framework, it particularly focuses on the importance of all young people having a trusted adult who holds them in mind and knows them over time, if young people don’t have this elsewhere in their life, this will be an important part of the Team programme.

Outcomes for young people

From working with young people some examples of the kind of outcomes they want relating to their mental health and well-being are:

· I understand how I can help improve my own mental health and well-being

· I feel in control

· I feel good about myself

· I have positive relationships

· My life has purpose

· I can sleep and relax

· I am confident

· I have control over what happens to me

· I am independent

· I can solve problems

· I am better able to cope with stigma

· Stigma is challenged by others in my life

· I have better coping skills

· Other people help me cope

As you can see a lot of the above outcomes are things that the Team programme will help young people to achieve, from being independent and gaining confidence, to taking some control over their next steps in life.

Supporting young people’s mental health and well-being

Below are some of the things that young people tell us at YoungMinds, they want people to know and some of the things we have found to be the most important in making a difference for young people, both in supporting their mental health and when having conversations with them about their well-being .

· Build relationships. Spotting the signs and symptoms of possible mental health issues relies on having a relationship with that young person, so that we can notice when their behaviour is different from what is normal for them. The more positive relationships a young person has the better, it’s more likely that they will feel safe and comfortable enough to speak up when they are struggling.

· Observe (with ears as well as eyes)

· Be available to listen

· Create a climate where young people feel able to access resources

· Reflect, not react

· Understand behaviour as communication

· Make information available

· Signpost

· Be prepared to take the first step

· Be resilient

· See the world from their perspective – it might look very different

· Value appropriate opportunities for a young person to take decisions and responsibility

What can you do for young people on Team?

· Create a positive culture where everyone is helped to understand the positive impact they can have on young people’s mental health, so all staff can be empowered to create safe and nurturing spaces and relationships with young people, making the most of all interactions. Much like with safeguarding, the well-being of young people is everybody’s business

· Listen non judgementally

· Acknowledge the young person’s emotional distress

· Encourage the young person to identify their own support network and encourage them to access other types of support

· Recognise your limitations and refer to appropriate services when necessary. Often staff feel that there is no point referring young people to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) as there are often long waiting lists and high thresholds. However frustrating this may be, it is vital to refer young people as early as possible to get the help and support they need

· Explain to young people what is going to happen next

· Ensure that you have time and space to reflect and look after yourself too. Dealing with complex behaviour and young people struggling with their mental health can be draining, upsetting and exhausting. It is important to debrief with managers or peers to ensure that you are well supported.

· You will know the young people that you are working with best. Please feel able to adapt the activities to meet the needs of your group.

Section 4- Resilience and Well-being

What is resilience?

There are a number of different definitions of what is meant by resilience. For example:

Tony Newman[footnoteRef:6], writing about resilience defines a resilient young people as one who [6: Dr. Tony Newman, Barnardo's Research and Development]

‘can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes’

“The human capacity to face, overcome and ultimately be strengthened and even transformed by life’s adversities and challenges... a complex relationship of psychological inner strengths and environmental social supports” (Masten)[footnoteRef:7] [7: Ann Masten, Professor at the Institute for Child Development, known for her research on the development of resilience and for advancing theory on the positive outcomes of children and families facing adversity]

The below definition of resilience is a good way for us to think about it. Building young people’s resilience is part of everyday life. It does not have to mean wholesale changes or a lot of extra work; it is about the ordinary magic that positive and nurturing relationships have on young people.

“Ordinary magic...In the minds, brains and bodies of children, in their families and relationships and in their communities” (Masten)

Resilience is something acquired through experience, although there may be some inherited aspects. It is not about invulnerability, but our capacity to cope. Continuous and extreme adversity is likely to drain the most resilient young people.

Resilience Framework, what the evidence says…

The Resilience Framework summarises a set of ideas and practices that promote resilience. It is based on a body of research and practice development called Resilient Therapy. This was originally developed by a team of academics and practitioners, Angie Hart and Derek Blincow, with help from Helen Thomas and a group of parents and professionals. This framework has been chosen due to its synergy with the Team programme and how it already helps to support the well-being of young people. The activities created by YoungMinds are underpinned by the Resilience Framework and more explicitly introduce themes of resilience, self-care and well-being in young people on Team.

The Resilience Framework sets out the things that help to build resilience in children and young people. They can be grouped into the following categories and are all based on the evidence of what works.

Basics

· In order for young people to feel more resilient, basic structures need to be put in place such as good enough housing (in this context translated as a safe and comfortable Team environment), enough sleep (people who have slept well will feel more alert and motivated to learn) and a healthy diet (which can improve behaviour, mood, and ability to learn).

· If these basic structures are in place then young people will feel a greater sense of security and peace of mind and can better deal with the challenges of life.

· Although some of these improvements may seem beyond the reach of your duty and are linked to family life and social circumstances, they can still be addressed through taking an interest or exploring sensitively with young people and could make significant changes to their well-being and enhance their ability to learn and cope.

Belonging

· Belonging is an important aspect of resilience-building. When a young person has good relationships in their life, and they belong to a group that accept them as they are, this helps create a good sense of self and identity.

· You can help by trying to encourage good relationships with friends, family and any other members of staff / volunteers.

· It is important that everyone has somewhere they feel they belong and that they meet people who are good influences, who can help them make sense of where they have come from and their place in the world.

· It is really important for everyone to find something they are good at, an activity or a talent, a way of expressing themselves.

Learning

· Learning is a fundamental part of us being able to function successfully in the world.

· Helping young people to develop talents, interests and life skills, encouraging them to learn how to cope, how to express their emotions, understand boundaries and have aspirations, are crucial parts of helping them become more resilient.

· Helping young people to have life plans, visions and getting organised allows them to develop new skills that are an essential part of them increasing their learning.

Coping

· Coping helps young people build up a particular set of skills to help them with the challenges of everyday life.

· Encouraging young people to cope helps them develop a sense of bravery, an ability to solve problems, to stand up for their own views and beliefs, foster interests and make themselves feel better.

Core self

· Core self focuses on the importance of the young people understanding of who they are and their own personal strengths.

· Encouraging young people to put themselves in other people’s shoes and be sensitive to how to other people feel can help raise awareness of how they feel and how their behaviour can affect other people’s feelings.

· It is important to help them be self-aware and take responsibility for themselves and their behaviour towards others while at the same time believing in them.

· Help them try out different things and they might find something they are talented at.

There are 4 noble truths that underpin these 5 compartments and the practices within them. These are fundamental starting places we need if we are interested in building resilience with young people. They encapsulate the underlying beliefs, values and attitudes needed to put the Resilience Framework into action.

· Accepting: This involves understanding and accepting a young person for who they are and where they are in their life, and knowing that this might change, daily, weekly or monthly. Accepting involves concentrating on what needs to happen and getting on with it, rather than worrying about things we can’t change and how we wish things were different.

· Conserving: Lots of good things that happen in young people’s lives can get lost, especially when things aren’t going smoothly. Preserving those good things, noticing them and even sometimes having to dig deep and resurrect them are important.

· Commitment: Promoting resilience is rarely a quick fix. Keeping an eye on commitment as a key principle will help you identify with young people what their long term support systems could be.

· Enlisting: Some young people might need more people involved in supporting them, and you might have to enlist others quite specifically. It really is worth focusing on exactly when we may not be enough and will enlist others. This could be in the sense of enlisting specialist services when we know young people need extra help, or it may be something as simple as helping to connect people to activities / services that support their interests.

Section 5 - How to use this resource pack

We have set out activities that you can use with young people on the Team programme. The activities focus on building resilience and uses activities built upon the evidence from the Resilience Framework to support young people’s well-being.

Facilitator Guide:

Remember to also use this guide for each of the sessions.

· Create a ‘Safe Space’ - during a session, you should set aside a space in the room where the participants can go if they need to take a break or step out of an activity - this is the ‘Safe Space’. A simple designated area aside from the main group will suffice. If a participant moves to this place, your co-facilitator should go and make sure the participant is ok while you deliver the rest of the session. If you are facilitating the session by yourself, check in with the person at the end of the session.

· Ensure everyone is clear about safeguarding rules and procedures - when discussing confidentiality make sure everyone is clear what you can and can’t keep confidential, which steps you will have to take if something worries you.

· Reinforce key messages - every session will cover four main messages and these should be reinforced during the discussions:

· Well-being is part of everyone’s everyday health, just like physical health.

· Resilience is not fixed, it is something we can build and needs to be practised

· Everyone builds resilience in different ways, and through a combination of techniques

· You can talk to a trusted adult for help and support

· Group agreement - it is important to ensure that participants feel safe and contained within all sessions addressing well-being and resilience. These might be similar to the overall rules that apply within Team.

· Trust your own skills and experience – As mentioned earlier in the document you will know your young people best. As you get to know them and build relationships, please do feel free to adapt the activities to best suit the needs of your group. The activities are a guide and you come with your own skills and experience. It is important to try and get across the key messages from each activity, but there are many flexible ways in order to get there.

· Get involved - Feel free to join in with the activities alongside the young people where appropriate, as this can help to lead by example and help young people to feel comfortable enough to join in with the group. Only share what you feel comfortable with and remember that it is about the young people and it is still important to maintain your professional boundaries.

Section 6 – Check-in/out and ice breakers

This section contains a selection of ice breakers and check in/out sessions, which can be delivered at the start or end of the day or at the beginning and end of the sessions in this pack.

Check-in suggestions (these can also be mirrored as check-out):

The below are example statements that can be used as pre and post sessions as a check-in with young people. These help young people to notice some resilient moves they do or resilient factors they have.

Looking at the Resilience Framework you can create your own check-in statements that are most appropriate for the group you are working with.

Where are you at

· One word that describes where you are at right now. This is just a place setter for building empathy and helping the group understand people are at different places

Globe trotting

· Pass around a globe (blow up globe). If you could do anything with the world today what would it be? (Each person to take a turn). Knowing what is important to each other will help build empathy in the group

Today’s animal

· If I was an animal today I would be …….This gives people an opportunity to say why – this might be related to a feeling or a personality characteristic. Both will help the group get to know each other and build empathy

What makes me feel good

· My feel good song / movie is …….This helps people to share the things that make them feel good, which is an important part of resilience

What I had for breakfast

· For Breakfast I had….This is a check-in about the importance of the basics, and also lets people expand on why they had that (were they rushed? Is it their favourite? Etc.)

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Ice breakers

The below ice breakers can help young people gain trust in one another, help build and strengthen relationships, to build a solid foundation to be able to have honest conversations about mental well-being and resilience.

All ice breakers are about building empathy and growing a sense of belonging with the group which will help all individuals build their resilience.

Ice breakers

Ideas for delivery week:

Before each activity

Ice breaker 1: In my pocket

Pick something out of your pocket or purse and share with the group why it's important to you. This is to be kept quite short, 1 sentence each. People can share as much or as little as they want to, but encourage people to talk about what the personal connection to the object is.

Ice breaker 2: M&M’s

This ice breaker is a good way of helping young people to open up to the group about different things in their life and helps the group find things in common with one another which really builds a sense of belonging.

Each person picks up some M&M's, but tell them not to eat them. Assign a different meaning to each colour: Blue = family, Green = studying/work/volunteering (this could be about what they want in these areas), Yellow = friends, Red = hobbies, Brown = music/movies.

However many M&Ms they have in their hands that is how many facts/things they have to share with the group. For example, if they have three blue, they would have to say three facts/things about their family. This game can also be played with toilet paper. They rip off how much they would normally 'use', and then they have to say a fact about them per sheet of toilet paper they have.

Ice breaker 3: introducing objects and each other

This is a good way of building relationships in the group and if used at the beginning can really help people to remember each other’s names!

Each person take an item out of their bag / pocket that they don’t mind being passed around and finds someone else to introduce themselves and the object to (“I am Sam and this is my pen.”).

Once they have introduced the object they hand it to their partner. Each person is to find someone else and introduce themselves and the other persons object (“I am Sam and this is Bobbi’s hat.”), swapping objects again.

This continues until everyone has introduced themselves to each other. Then get everyone to stand in a circle going round each person who introduces themselves and the object they ended up with, passing it to the person it belongs to.

Ice breaker 4: True to you statements

These statements need to be true to the facilitator, to ensure the young people don’t feel exposed and to create safety. This activity builds trust within the group and creates commonality.

Place chairs in a circle (one less than the number of people in the group), facilitator starts in the middle, explain that you are going to make a series of statements, which are true to you. For example, ‘I watched telly last night’, any member of the group to whom the statement applies must stand up and swap seats with someone else who has also stood up.

Gradually make them more amusing or resilient (I have had chocolate for breakfast, I have left the house without brushing my hair once, I like to listen to music to relax).

Ice breaker 5: ‘What if’ questions

All questions help the group build empathy with one another and also help young people identify what is important to them which helps to build their resilience.

This activity can be repeated with different questions throughout the programme. The questions could get more related to resilience and mental well-being so you go along.

Ask the group to sit in a circle. Write 20 'IF' questions on cards and place them (question down) in the middle of the circle. The facilitator could write these, if they wanted to explore specific topics or they could ask the group to write one each.

The first person takes a card, reads it out and gives their answer, comment or explanation. The card is returned to the bottom of the pile before the next person takes their card Keep it moving and don't play for too long.

Ideas for questions

1. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

2. If you could watch your favourite TV show now, what would it be?

3. If I gave you £10,000, what would you spend it on?

4. If you could have any kind of pet, what would you have?

5. If you could watch your favourite movie now, what would it be?

6. If you could do your dream job, what would it be?

7. If you could talk to anyone in the world, who would it be?

8. If you had to be allergic to something, what would it be?

9. If you could wish one thing to come true this year, what would it be?

10. If you sat down next to the prime minister on a bus, what (policy/thing in society) would you ask them to change?

11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

12. If money and time was no object, what would you be doing right now?

13. If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change?

14. If you had one day to live over again, what day would you pick?

15. If you could be someone else, who would you be?

16. If you could eat your favourite food now, what would it be?

17. If you could have any question answered, what would it be?

18. If you could learn any skill, what would it be?

19. If you were sent to live on a space station for three months and only allowed to bring three personal items with you, what would they be?

20. If you could buy a car right now, what would you buy?

Section 7 – Activities and session plans

This section contains a series of session plans, each session plan is split into two parts - the main activity with a follow on activity. Please note that activity 12 contains four activities based on mindfulness. We wouldn’t suggest to run them all in one session, but to use one or two for the session, which ever ones seem to best fit and support your group.

When to deliver the activities

We have outlined some weeks of the programme where the activities may best fit, according to the feedback received from staff and delivery partners about what parts of the programme young people would benefit from having more support for their mental well-being.

If you feel that a particular activity would work well at a different time for your group, that is fine, you will understand their needs as they go through the programme. We have put most of the activities starting from week two as the group will need to get to know each other to become comfortable enough to participate fully and trust their peers and leaders. If your group is taking longer to gel then please do put the activities when and where you think they would be most beneficial.

When the project was first rolled out in 2018 there were some evaluation requirements which we no longer need to complete, however, we have created a Pre-Programme and End of Programme set of questions using MS Forms (based on the Evaluation Questionnaires that were used) that you can use to gain an understanding of where the young people are at the beginning of the programme and compare this with their answers at the end of the programme.The pre-programme responses could also be a useful guide for you when choosing what activities to deliver.

Here are the links to the MS Forms Templates –

Pre-Programme - https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=aAtwVheHd02CavK-NeA3_3E-vC1sbVlNv5RrefZKHrhUREZCN1FSVjlTWERRWkhNTFpWTUs1TjdCRS4u&sharetoken=gZ40LQeDoRWtuz5tBzCk

End of Programme - https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=aAtwVheHd02CavK-NeA3_3E-vC1sbVlNv5RrefZKHrhUNFNIS0U2WFVLMDQ2RlVSM0tFNENROU9QUy4u&sharetoken=mixGXRJTdz7DBr35zoUx

When you clink on the link you will see a button at the top that says “Duplicate it” – this is where you can duplicate the form to use it as your own version and put your Team Name in the title. You can then share the link with your young people by clicking the SHARE button and copying the link under the heading “Send and Collect Responses”

It is helpful for you to ‘bookmark’ the page so that you can quickly and easily navigate back to it to view the responses. Click on the Responses TAB to see the results and these can be opened as a spreadsheet in Excel by clicking the button.

Activity summary sheet

This sheet gives you an overview of all the activities outlined in this pack, there are 21 in total.

These activities are themed in broad categories but there is some cross over, so please read the activity overview to get the right session for your desired outcome.

Activity

Activity overview

Ideas for delivery week

Theme: Understanding mental health and reducing stigma

Activity 1

Main: Working as a group

Follow on: What is resilience, mental health and emotional well-being

Main: Allows the group to voice their hopes and fears and translate those into a group agreement.

Follow on: Understand the terms of mental health, resilience and emotional well-being

Week 1 (could be used as part of usual hopes and fears session)

Week 2-3

Activity 3

Main: Destigmatising mental health

Follow on: Positive mental health

Main: Explore stigma that’s exists in society and an opportunity to challenge some of the stigma that may exist in the room.

Follow on: Link that we all have mental health and identifying ways to help us cope when things get tough.

Week 3

Theme: Making sense of emotions

Activity 9

Main: Making sense of your emotions and limitations (emotions bucket)

Follow on: Taking back control of your emotions

Visual representation of what can happen when emotions overflow.

Main: Understanding what stress is, how stress feels and the physical impact of stress.

Follow on: Identifying what can help to relieve some pressure when feeling overwhelmed.

Week 2

Activity 5

Main: Making sense of anxiety

Follow on: Living positively with anxiety

Main: What anxiety is and how it makes people feel, the difference between anxiety and worry.

Follow on: Understanding ways to cope when you are feeling anxious.

Week 5-6 (before work placement)

Activity 10

Main: Ways to manage your stress

Follow on: The self-care jar

Main: What stress is and how it makes people feel. Physical warning signs when feeling stressed and coping strategies.

Follow on: Making a pledge to try some of the self-care ideas.

Week 5-6 (before work placement)

Activity 6

Main: Finding the goodness in things (reframing thoughts)

Follow on: Reframing plus

Main: Difference between helpful and unhelpful thoughts. Focusing on helpful thoughts.

Follow on: Reflect on the positive things completed whilst on Team.

Week 9

Theme: Looking after the basics

Activity 2

Main: Sleep is good for me!

Follow on: The natural sleeping pill

Main: Understand the importance of sleep & identify things that help and hinder sleep.

Follow on: Importance of being calm and finding a safe space to do this.

Week 2 (on residential)

Activity 12

Mindfulness for beginners

Mindful techniques presented in four different activities, it is advisable to only deliver one or two of these in single session.

Activities

1. What’s in my hand?

2. Discovering the goodness in my day

3. Mindful breathing

4. Safe place to be

Any time on Team, also works during daily set up of residential

Activity 19

Main: (How to be your own) Mastercef

Follow on: Masterchef +

Main: Importance of diet and how this can make us feel and the strong link between physical health and mental well-being.

Follow on: Sharing ideas for how to keep ourselves healthy.

Week 1, 2, 11, 12

Theme: Building on strengths and self-care

Activity 4

Main: Resilient me

Follow on: Resilient us

Main: Understanding self-care and acknowledge the positive and resilient moves already being made.

Follow on: Positive ways to deal with challenges by creating well-being activities.

Week 5-6

Activity 11

Main: Resilience super-hero

Follow on: Be your own resilience super-hero

Main: Recognising qualities and skills possessed and that can be used when things get tough.

Follow on: Identifying any skills and qualities to develop and aspire to have.

Week 11

Activity 8

Main: Yes, you did it (Celebrating achievements)

Follow on: There is no follow on.

Main: Celebrating achievements and all of the things that they have learned. It is also a time to remind young people that all of the self-care, problem solving and resilience skills.

Week 12 (could form part of presentation planning)

Activity 13

Main: Too much on my plate

Follow on: Building on resilience (my responses)

Main: Visual translation of ‘having too much on your plate’.

Exploring the concept of capacity and introduces resilience and what that might mean.

Follow on: Allows the group to plan how to take positive action in challenging situations.

Week 1 or 2

Activity 14

Main: Knowing what’s good for you!

Follow on: Knowing what’s good for us!

Main and follow on: Concept of self-care, and how important it is for us to take the time to look after our mental well-being.

Any week

Activity 15

Main: Team power

Follow on: Team power in action

Main: Understand how it feels to be overwhelmed. Steps to make things seem more manageable.

Follow on: Discussion about how to break down big problems into smaller, more manageable chunks that can help to build resilience.

Week 1, 2 and 11, 12

Activity 16

Main: I can (not) control everything

Follow on: What I learnt during Team

Main: Identify what I can and can’t control on Team, there will always be something that we can do to help us feel a bit more in control of a situation.

Follow on: Future planning, how will the Team use the new skills and confidence developed during the programmes, post Team.

Before residential, before work experience, week 11 or week 12

Activity 17

Main: Can you hole my balloon (worry) for me please?

Follow on: Preparing for a rainy day

Main: Visual representation that it is impossible to hold onto everything and that it helps to share the load. Seeing the positives in challenging situations.

Follow on: Working together to overcome barriers.

Any week

Activity 18

Main: I value you

Follow on: I value me

Main and follow on: Building a sense of belonging by understanding what each person brings to Team and what they are good at.

Any week

Activity 20

Main: Getting to know your roots (strengths)

Follow on: Grafting

Main and follow on: Visual representation to recognise strengths and also the areas to develop, recognising how other people can support with things they feel less confident with.

Any week

Theme: Asking for help

Activity 7

Main: Your helping hand

Follow on: Being someone else’s helping hand

Main: Identify own support networks and navigate to people or services that can help when extra support is needed.

Follow on: The positive qualities possessed that can be used to help and support others.

Week 12

Activity 21

Main: Supporting each other

Follow on: I trust you to see for me

Main: How to ask for help and support in times of need. Sometimes when young people need help to cope, they may find it difficult to talk about how they feel and to ask for help from others.

Follow on: How to talk about things that might be sensitive or difficult, how to communicate needs to others and how to respond to other people who might need them.

Any week

Activity 1: Working as a group/ What is resilience, mental health and emotional well-being

Session: Working as a group (main activity)



Week 1 (this can be an extension of usual hopes and fears/agreement session)

Learning outcome:

· Setting expectations and understanding group environment.

· Being able to identify what is needed to create a sense of safety when approaching the subject of Mental Health.

Facilitator notes: Remember to also use the facilitators guide in section 5.

This activity allows the group to voice their fears and concerns and translate those into a group agreement. This also allows them to voice any hopes and what they are looking forward to during these session, it would be helpful at this point to let the group know the types of activities that will be delivered.

While there are already boundaries in place for Team, it is important to allow the group to develop their own agreement for these sessions to develop a sense of ownership, belonging and responsibility. At the same it provides a space for young people to voice their concerns and fears and also to work directly together in small groups in a focused way. Some of the agreements the small groups create will be similar. Coming back and working together in the big group will allow the young people to see similarities and also help create a shared understanding, as well as build trust.

Ensure that the agreement is written down and is visible at each subsequent session.

Time

Activity Description

Resources

5 min

Ice breaker- choose from suggestions

20 min

Main Activity

Put a hat / container in the centre of the room.

Give each participant a post it note and pen. Ask them to write down their Hopes and fears about mental health / resilience sessions. Explain that these will be anonymous. Invite each person to place their post it in the hat.

Pass the hat around, inviting each person to take a post it.

Go round the circle and ask each person to read out what is written on their post it.

Break into small groups and ask each group to come up with ‘rules’ according to one of the specific topics.

Group 1: ‘Rules’ around ensuring everyone is heard

Group 2: ‘Rules’ around ensuring a safe space

Group 3: ‘Rules’ around practicalities (absences, lateness, etc)

Group 4:’ Rules’ around showing respect

Come back into the big group and present the ‘rules’. Discuss which ones are essential and will form the group agreement. Write the agreement on a flip chart, being specific. Ensure the whole group is in agreement before you write them down.

Ensure these include:

Confidentiality, time boundaries, respect, mobile phones

Discussion Marker: what do we need to feel safe? This can be a number of things, like not being asked to make eye contact when speaking or agreeing that we won’t laugh at one another. How do we ensure that this will be a safe space for everyone?

Hat / container

Post it notes

Pens

Flip chart paper

Flip chart pens

Blu-tack

Session: What is resilience, mental health and emotional well-being (follow on activity)

Ideas for delivery week: this can follow the agreement session or can be delivered later in Team- week 2 or 3, when you know the group a bit better.

Learning outcome:

· Self-awareness and speaking in front of others.

· Understanding mental health, emotional well-being and resilience.


This also then extends to why we need a group agreement – as we are talking about some subjects and themes that might be sensitive. The follow on activity unpicks what those sensitive subjects are and explores what they mean, both in general and in relation to each other.

Time

Activity description

Resources

30 min

Follow on Activity

Explain that this activity is about understanding and defining different terms. Put the words ‘Resilience’, Emotional Well-being’ and ‘Mental Health’ each on a separate piece of flipchart paper and stick them on 3 different walls. Get the group in pairs or threes to walk around the room and write on the flip charts any words or phrases that come to mind relating to each term.

After 15 minutes bring the group together and read out some of their thoughts and suggestions from each flipchart. There are definitions of each term after this session plan, which you can use to facilitate discussions.

Discussion marker: Ask the group whether they think all 3 mean the same thing or are they different? How are they related to each other?

Mental health continuum

Make a visual replica of the below mental health continuum by placing post it notes at points across the whole side of a wall

Explain that mental health is a continuum, with one end being where we are flourishing and have no issues and the other being where we might have a diagnosable mental health problem. Mental health itself is neutral as a term and is something that EVERYONE has.

Our emotional well-being is where on that continuum we are at any one time. What happens to us and what difficulties we have to face will affect how we move up and down the continuum.

Note: Team Leader to represent this by using examples and moving (walking) up and down the continuum. Explain that people can move up and down the continuum within the same day, same week, month or year.

You could start at the ‘coping well/thriving’ end and give examples of things that has happened that may make you move along into ‘moderately mentally healthy’ and ‘struggling’. Ensure that you also mention things that can move you back along to ‘thriving’.

It is important to mention that it can be the accumulative ‘everyday’ things that’s make you move up and down the continuum, as well of the ‘not so everyday’ or bigger life events.

Resilience is about having a toolkit of skills to help us cope when things get tough – so the more of those skills we have, the more likely we are to be able to stick towards the positive end of the continuum.

The different terms can mean different things to different people depending on their experiences. The activities that have been woven in to Team programme are focusing on resilience and how to help young people cope better with their time on Team and their life in general.

Definitions of mental health, emotional well-being and resilience below for reference.

3 / 15 min

Check out

Choose from suggestions / one sentence around where we are at / how we feel now

Session feedback

Activity set up:

1. Which week did you deliver this activity in? Why?

2. Did you use one of the ice breakers?

Activity delivery:

1. What worked well/what didn’t work so well?

2. Did you adapt the session plan, if so in what way?

3. Any improvement suggestions? Any other feedback?

Young person feedback:

1. Please ask the young people for their feedback.

2. What were the engagement levels? Did everyone take part?

Definitions

The below definitions can be used to facilitate discussions during Activity 1.

Mental Health:

‘The strength and capacity of our minds to grow and develop, to be able to overcome difficulties and challenges and to make the most of our abilities and opportunities’

YoungMinds 2006

Child Mental Health:

· A capacity to enter into, and sustain, mutually satisfying and sustaining personal relationships

· Continuing progression of psychological development

· An ability to play and to learn so that attainments are appropriate for age and intellectual level

· A developing moral sense of right and wrong

· A degree of psychological distress and maladaptive behaviour within normal limits for the child’s age and context

Well-being:

“A positive physical, social and mental state; it is not just the absence of pain, discomfort and incapacity. It requires that basic needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose, that they feel able to achieve important personal goals and participate in society. It is enhanced by conditions that include supportive personal relationships, strong and inclusive communities, good health, financial and personal security, rewarding employment and a healthy and attractive environment”.

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

Often when explaining the difference between Mental Health and Emotional Well-being we will use the following analogy, which works best when we have visual cues, which is what we would use with young people:

Mental Health is a continuum that we all move up and down depending on many factors in our lives. Everyone has mental health and we will all be on different places on that continuum at any given time. Our emotional well-being is the particular place on that larger continuum that we may find ourselves on a given day, and the things that help us to stick there.

Resilience:

There are a number of different definitions of what is meant by resilience. For example:

Tony Newman, writing about resilience defines a resilient young people as one who:

‘‘can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes” (Newman)

“The human capacity to face, overcome and ultimately be strengthened and even transformed by life’s adversities and challenges... a complex relationship of psychological inner strengths and environmental social supports” (Masten)

The below definition of resilience is a good way for us to think about it. Building young people’s resilience is part of everyday life. It does not have to mean wholesale changes or a lot of extra work; it is about the ordinary magic that positive and nurturing relationships have on young people.

“Ordinary magic...In the minds, brains and bodies of children, in their families and relationships and in their communities” (Masten)

Activity 2: Sleep is good for me!/ The natural sleeping pill

Session: Sleep is good for me! (main activity)

Theme: Looking after the basics

Idea for delivery week:

Week 1 before residential, week 2 (on residential). First thing in the morning when group may be most tired.

Learning outcome:

· Understanding the importance of sleep on our mental well-being.

· Understanding how lack of sleep can make us feel and the impact this can have on our bodies (physical symptoms), learning and emotional well-being (psychological symptoms).

· Enabling young people to identify barriers to getting enough sleep (such as stress) and ways of overcoming these (for example reducing screen time before going to sleep).


This activity helps young people to understand the importance of getting enough sleep and how this affects their sense of well-being. It is also useful for identifying the things that help and hinder them getting to sleep and having good quality sleep.

Time


Resources

2 /5 min

Group agreement- Facilitator & group to remind themselves of session agreement

Group agreement

5/ 10 min


20 / 30 min

Main Activity

Explain that the room is a timeline, with one end representing “early” and the other “late”.

Ask the group to line up according to when they went to bed. Participants will have to talk to each other to find out what time each of them went to bed. Remind them that this is just about when they went to bed, not when they went to sleep.

Once everyone is lined up ask them one by one to call out what time they went to bed.

Next ask the group to rearrange themselves into how much sleep they got (you can keep the same continuum, with the side representing “early” being the most sleep and the “late” side representing little sleep.)

Did the bedtime represent or correlate with the amount of sleep they got?

Ask the group how much sleep they think they need (for an average teenager this equates to 9.25hours, for an adult around 8hours).

How do we feel when we don’t get enough sleep? Does this change when we don’t get enough sleep over a period of time? (symptoms of sleep deprivation include irritability, weakened immune system, aggression, clumsiness, poor memory, slower reactions, poor judgement).

What stops us from sleeping (examples include phones/tablets, racing thoughts, worries, stress, gaming, etc.)?

Discussion marker: What can we do to help us sleep? E.g. less screen time before bed, relaxing music, etc. Get the group to discuss these and come up with a range of sleep solutions that you document on a flip chart.

Flipchart paper

Pen

5 sleep tips sheet

10 insomnia sleep tips sheet

Sleep and physical health sheet

Session: The natural sleeping pill (follow on activity)

Learning outcome:

· Understanding the importance of being or remaining calm

· Having an example of how visualisation can help with being calm.


The follow on activity is designed to help young people relax and find a space where they feel safe and calm. It might be hard for some young people to be still for a period of time, so it is important to be sensitive to this and allow them to participate in the way they feel comfortable with.

Time


Resources

30 min

Follow on Activity

Below is a script for a guided visualisation that may aid with sleep.

Ask everyone to find a space on the floor and to lay down in a comfortable position. Explain that you are about to guide them through a visualisation, that they are invited to close their eyes but do not have to. If at any point they feel uncomfortable they can open their eyes, sit up and if necessary leave the room.

Script

· “Start by finding a comfortable position. As you settle in, direct your attention to your body. Notice how your body feels in this moment. Let your body begin to relax by releasing the areas of tension, such as your shoulders.... feel the tension slipping away as you lower your shoulders slightly and let the muscles give up their hold.

· Take a deep breath in.... and as you exhale, let your body relax even more. Where is your body feeling the most tense? Focus your attention on this area as you take another breath in.... and feel this area relaxing as you breathe out.

· Breathe in.... and out..... In.... out......

· Continue to take slow, deep breaths.

· Where is your body the most relaxed? Notice how this area feels. Notice how the relaxation feels. See how you can let this relaxed feeling increase... growing.... relaxing.... feeling your whole body relax..... as if your muscles are melting.... softening.... relaxing.

· As your body relaxes more and more, you can also relax your mind as you focus on the guided imagery to follow.

· Imagine that you are outdoors at dusk. It is still light out, but the sun has set below the horizon.

· It is a pleasant temperature, comfortable..... and you are in a safe, peaceful place in the country. Maybe you are on a farm, or in the mountains, or in the open prairie.... picture a place that feels calm, safe, and serene.... a place you would enjoy watching the starry sky at night.

· Imagine the details of your surroundings. You are probably sitting in a chair, or lying on a blanket. Your position allows you to admire the sky above.

· See the grass on the ground around you. You might see some trees, or rocks.... or even just wide open plains. Imagine this pleasant scene, and feel yourself relaxing, simply enjoying this solitude.

· The sky is becoming gradually darker. The highest part of the sky is a deep indigo colour, becoming darker and darker as the moments pass. This colour blends into a lighter shade, almost green.... At the horizon, the sky is an interesting shade of pink, mixed with grey in the fading light.

· It is very peaceful watching the sky darken. The air around you is still and calm. In the distance, you can hear crickets and frogs as they begin to sing.

· The air is slightly cooler now, very pleasantly cool against your forehead and cheeks.

· Looking at the horizon now, shapes such as distant trees or buildings are in silhouette. Your eyes are slowly adjusting to the decreasing light. As you gaze up at the sky above, it stretches from horizon to horizon like a vast dome. Straight up above, the sky is growing darker, and is nearly black.... fading to a lighter colour near the horizon in the west.

· You can see the first stars appear.... first one star... and then another.... and another.... See them twinkle.... shining like tiny diamonds.

· As you look at the darkening sky, you can see more and more stars.

· Relax and enjoy the dusk.... watching night begin.

(pause)

· The sky is even darker now. It has become a dark black, with only a slight hint of light at the horizon where the sun has set. The sky is so clear.... you see no clouds anywhere to obscure the starry sky.

· More stars have appeared, until now the sky looks like it has been sprinkled by a salt shaker full of gleaming crystals of salt that are the stars. Some stars are bright, luminous.... others are tiny specs that you can barely see.

· Simply enjoy relaxing under the starry sky.... enjoying this quiet retreat.

(pause)

· Now the sky is jet black. Out here, away from city lights, the stars are amazingly bright. Have you ever seen so many stars? The sky is filled with so many stars, you would not even be able to count them.

· See the constellations formed by stars... it is like hundreds of connect the dots pictures spread out before you. The starry sky is so huge.... so vast.... a beautiful glimmering blanket of stars stretching up in a complete circle around you from every horizon.

· Admire the starry sky.... feeling very calm.... relaxed.... at peace.....

(pause)

· When you are ready to leave your imagined peaceful place, you can begin to reawaken your body and mind.

· Feel your muscles reawakening as you take note of your surroundings.

· Slowly return to the present....

· Move your muscles by wiggling your fingers..... now open and close your hands a few times.

· Wiggle your toes.... move your ankles.....

· Move your arms and legs.....

· Stretch if you want to.... feeling your body becoming fully awake.

· Take a moment to sit quietly as you reawaken completely. Notice that you still feel calm and relaxed, though you are awake and alert.

When your mind and body are fully awake, you can resume your usual activities, feeling refreshed.

(taken from http://www.innerhealthstudio.com/starry-sky.html )

Discussion marker: Once finished get everyone to sit in a circle and feedback what this was like. Some young people may not find this useful and responses may vary. You could suggest that if the young people find this helpful, they could practise this technique when they are trying to relax or sleep.

These tip sheets are to help prompt discussions and have been taken from the NHS

5 sleep tips sheet

10 tips insomnia sleep tips sheet

Sleep and physical health sheet

3 / 15 min

Check out

Choose from suggestions or one sentence about what was useful and what can they take away from this.

Session feedback

Activity set up:

· Which week did you deliver this activity in? Why?

· Did you use one of the ice breakers?

Activity delivery:

· What worked well/what didn’t work so well?

· Did you adapt the session plan, if so in what way?

· Any improvement suggestions? Any other feedback?


· Please ask the young people for their feedback.

· What were the engagement levels? Did everyone take part?

Sleep and physical health

A variety of factors can cause poor sleep, including health conditions, but in most cases it’s due to bad sleeping habits.

The NHS outlines the importance of sleep and symptoms/effects of lack of sleep as follows:

Well known

Maybe less well known

· Feeling grumpy

· Not working at your best

· Fatigue

· Short temper

· Lack of focus that often follow a poor night’s sleep

· Sleep deprivation can have profound consequences on your physical health.

· Health risks: Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

· Shortens life expectancy – sleeping less than 6 hours increases the in risk of death by 12%.

It is clear that a solid night’s sleep is essential for a long and healthy life.

How many hours sleep should I get per night?

Most of us need around 8 hours of good-quality sleep a night to function properly – some need more and some less. What matters is that you find out how much sleep you need and then try to achieve it.

How do I find out how much sleep I need?

Simple! As a general rule, if you wake up tired and spend the day longing for a chance to have a nap, it’s likely that you’re not getting enough sleep.

What are the effects of a continuous lack of sleep?

An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable, but it won’t harm your health.

However, after several sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious.

· Your brain will fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions.

· You’ll start to feel down

· You may fall asleep during the day

· Your risk of injury and accidents at home, work and on the road also increases

· Prolonged lack of sleep can disrupt your immune system, so you’re less able to fight off bugs

Given that a single sleepless night can make you irritable and moody the next day, it’s not surprising that chronic sleep debt may lead to long-term mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

How can I repay my sleep debt?

If you don’t get enough sleep there is only one way to compensate - getting more sleep.

It won’t happen with a single early night. If you’ve had months of restricted sleep, you’ll have built up a significant sleep debt, so expect recovery to take several weeks.

Starting on a weekend, try to add an extra hour or 2 of sleep a night. The way to do this is to go to bed when you’re tired, and allow your body to wake in the morning (no alarm clocks allowed!). Expect to sleep for upwards of 10 hours a night at first. After a while, the amount of time you sleep will gradually decrease to a normal level.

Pick me up’s

Don’t rely on caffeine or energy drinks as a short-term pick-me-up. They may boost your energy and concentration temporarily, but can disrupt your sleep patterns even further in the long term.

Websites;

· NHS (This page includes further external links).

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/why-lack-of-sleep-is-bad-for-your-health/

· Sleep council Further advice is also available: https://sleepcouncil.org.uk/

5 tips on how to get to sleep

If you have difficulty falling asleep, a regular bedtime routine will help you wind down and prepare for bed.

· Keep to a full bed time routine

A bed time routine starts long before you climb into bed, your routine depends on what works for you, but the most important thing is working out a routine and sticking to it.

· Sleep at regular times

First of all, keep regular sleeping hours. This programmes the brain and internal body clock to get used to a set routine.

· Make sure you wind down

Winding down is a critical stage in preparing for bed.

There are lots of ways to relax:

· A warm bath (not hot) will help your body reach a temperature that's ideal for rest.

· Writing "to do" lists for the next day can organise your thoughts and clear your mind of any distractions.

· Relaxation exercises, such as light yoga stretches, help to relax the muscles. Don't exercise vigorously, as it will have the opposite effect.

· Relaxation CDs work by using a carefully narrated script, gentle hypnotic music and sound effects to relax you.

· Reading a book or listening to the radio relaxes the mind by distracting it.

· Make your bedroom sleep-friendly

Your bedroom should be a relaxing environment. Experts claim there's a strong association in people's minds between sleep and the bedroom. However, certain things weaken that association, such as TVs and other electronic gadgets, light, noise, and a bad mattress or bed.

· Your bedroom ideally needs to be dark, quiet, tidy and be kept at a temperature of between 18C and 24C.

· Fit some thick curtains if you don't have any. If you're disturbed by noise, consider using earplugs.

· Keep a sleep diary

It can be a good idea to keep a sleep diary (PDF, 55kb). It may uncover lifestyle habits or daily activities that contribute to your sleeplessness.

A sleep diary can also reveal underlying conditions that explain your insomnia, such as stress or medication.

All tips taken from the NHS website, see full details here;

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/

10 tips to beat insomnia

Simple lifestyle changes can make a world of difference to your quality of sleep. Follow these 10 tips for a more restful night.

· Keep regular sleep hours

Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time every day will programme your body to sleep better. Choose a time when you're likely to feel tired and sleepy.

· Create a restful sleeping environment

Your bedroom should be a peaceful place for rest and sleep. Temperature, lighting and noise should be controlled so that your bedroom environment helps you to fall (and stay) asleep.

If you have a pet that sleeps in the room with you, consider moving it somewhere else if it often disturbs you in the night.

· Make sure your bed is comfortable

It's difficult to get restful sleep on a mattress that's too soft or too hard, or a bed that's too small or old.

· Exercise regularly

Moderate exercise on a regular basis, such as swimming or walking, can help relieve some of the tension built up over the day. Make sure that you don't do vigorous exercise, such as running or the gym, too close to bedtime, though, as it may keep you awake. See how to get fit your way.

· Cut down on caffeine

Cut down on caffeine in tea, coffee, energy drinks or colas, especially in the evening. Caffeine interferes with the process of falling asleep, and also prevents deep sleep. Instead, have a warm, milky drink or herbal tea.

· Don't over-indulge

Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night, can interrupt your sleep patterns. Alcohol may help you to fall asleep initially, but it will disrupt your sleep later on in the night.

· Don't smoke

Nicotine is a stimulant. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, they wake up more frequently, and they often have more disrupted sleep.

· Try to relax before going to bed

Have a warm bath, listen to quiet music or do some gentle yoga to relax the mind and body. Your doctor may be able to recommend a helpful relaxation CD.

· Write away your worries

If you tend to lie in bed thinking about everything you have to do tomorrow, set aside time before bedtime to make plans for the next day. The aim is to avoid doing these things when you're in bed, trying to sleep.

· If you can't sleep, get up

If you can't sleep, don't lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again, then go back to bed.

If lack of sleep is persistent and affecting your daily life, make an appointment to see your GP.

Find out about Sleepio, a digital programme that helps people overcome sleep problems.

All tips taken from the NHS website, see full details here;

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/10-tips-to-beat-insomnia/

Activity 3: Destigmatising mental health

Session: Destigmatising mental health (main activity)



Week 3

Learning outcome:

· Being able to describe what mental health means and how we all have it just like physical health.

· Being able to articulate that mental health in itself is not negative.

· Actively addressing stigma and being able to positively talk about the subject of mental health.


This main activity is about unpicking what we mean by mental health and looking in to the stigma that still exists around mental health in society. While this activity bears similarity to the introduction to mental health the focus here lies on allowing young people to name negative associations with the terminology of mental health and how stigma can affect us and our ability to have an open dialogue around mental health.

Usually when people are asked to describe what mental health means, they think of mental ill health and mental health problems. This activity gives people a chance to explore their thoughts on this, and it gives us a chance to challenge some of the stigma that may exist in the room. It can be helpful to draw parallels with physical health and how people would describe it, as usually it is described in a much more positive way.

Time


Resources

2 /5 min

Group agreement - Facilitator & group to remind themselves of session agreement

Group agreement

5/ 10 min

Ice breaker - choose from suggestions

20 / 30 min

Main activity:

Put several sheets of flipchart paper on the floor and stick it together to create a giant sheet of paper.

In the centre write the words “Mental Health” and invite participants to collectively write down their associations to the words.

Explain that there is no right or wrong to this activity. Whatever we associate with the term is ok to put down. Explain that participants are not asked to disclose anything they might feel uncomfortable with or might make them feel vulnerable.

Give the group around 10 - 15 minutes to create the mind map.

Discuss with the group most common associations around mental health and how to look after our mental health.

Did the thinking turn to mental ill health? What are our assumptions when we hear the term mental health?

Discussion marker: The discussion should centre around the idea that we ALL have mental health, which can be affected by different events at different times of our lives. What is the difference between mental health and mental well-being? Ask the group to pick out how the different terminology makes them feel, and the connotations it may have.

Flip chart paper

Pens

Sticky tack

Session: Positive mental health….and the steps about how to get there (follow on activity)

Learning outcome:

· Understanding what can help us maintain positive mental health.

· Knowing practical suggestions for ways to try looking after their mental health


The follow on activity is about making the link that we all have mental health and we can all help identify ways to help us cope when things get tough. By sharing some of these ideas the group can help to build up a picture of what can influence our mental health.

*While we said at the start of this pack that we would refer to ‘Mental Health’ as ‘Mental Well-being’ throughout as that is what young people preferred, for the purposes of this activity we will use the term ‘Mental Health’ as we want people to explore the stigma that exists around the exact term.

Time


Resources

30 min

Follow on activity

Give each participant a few post it notes. Invite them to think about what has a positive effect on mental health (sleep, exercise, healthy diet, talking, etc.) and write the suggestions on the post it notes.

Invite participants to add the post it notes to the mind map, wherever they feel relevant to the participants.

Discuss why these things can have a positive impact and if we’re able to incorporate them into our lives.

Ask the participants to write down practical suggestions how some of the positive things can be achieved on a separate post it (for example reducing screen time before going to bed to help with sleep, checking in with a mate once a week, etc) This can be something they already do or something they would like to try. Share with the group.

Discussion marker: At the end of the activity ask the young people to think about a few examples from the post it notes that they can take away and do in everyday life. It could be something they could go home and try right away, or it could just be something that they remember to do when they have had a bad day etc.

Post it notes

3 / 15 min

Check out

Choose from suggestions

*Ask the group to take away at least one of the positive activities to try at home over the next week. You could check back in about these the following week to see how people have got on.

Session feedback

Activity set up:



Activity delivery:







Activity 4: Resilient me/resilient us

Session: Resilient me (main activity)

Theme: Building on strengths and self-care

Ideas for delivery Week:

Week 5- 6 (before work placement)

Learning outcome:

· Being able to identify existing coping strategies and building on existing positive self-care strategies.

· Being enabled to explore and try out new suggestions of coping strategies.

· Supporting Team members in engaging in positive self-care activities.


This main activity allows young people to think of and acknowledge some of the positive and resilient moves they already make in their lives. By sharing these resilient moves you invite the group to deepen the support they can gain from one another, voicing for example respect for one another (“I wish I could do this”), validation (“I do this, too”) or curiosity (“I’d like to try this.”). While the emphasis is on getting the young people to write something positive, some group members may come up with something that may appear questionable (e.g. “I go to McDonalds and get three apple pies and a big mac.”). Remember that we all sometimes cope through actions that others may find questionable (in adults this may be drinking alcohol every evening after work, etc.), but that sometimes these things may help us cope for a short while. We all have things that can help us cope, whether that is exercise, cuddling our pets, “retail therapy”, writing, reading, watching telly, chocolate, talking to friends, singing loudly, etc. Allow the young people to be honest and remind the group to be non-judgemental. Encourage participants to share in detail why something resonates with them, as this can remind them of other things they already do.

Time


Resources

2 /5 min

Group agreement - Facilitator & group to remind themselves of the agreements for these sessions

Group agreement

5/ 10 min


20 / 30 min

Main Activity

Give each participant a speech-bubble (see below for an example to print out).

Ask everyone to think of 3 positive things they do when they have a problem / when things are a bit tricky or to keep well in general. These can be anything from going for a run, calling a friend to playing a video game.

Remind participants that they are anonymous, but will be read by other members of the group.

When everyone has written three things ask the participants to put their speech-bubbles in the centre of the room.

Once everyone has placed theirs in the centre ask everyone to pick up someone else’s speech bubble.

Give participants a moment to read what the other person has written and ask them to share one thing that resonates with them. It might resonate because they also do the activity or it might resonate for another reason: “I wish I was a person who did this” or “I always wanted to try this.” Ask them to share the activity and the reason it resonated with them.

(If you are doing this for the extended 30 minutes you may have time to allow each person to read out all three things on the speech bubble and respond to all three if they wish, but aim for at least one.)

Discussion marker: how easy / difficult was it to think of activities? Do we tend to take the time to do these well-being things (to some of these the answer may be yes, like listening to music)? What do we get out of them (do they change our mood or help us reflect or connect with other people)?

Speech bubbles printed on paper

Pens

(alternatively you can hand out blank paper and ask the participants to draw a speech bubble on it.)

Session: Resilient us (follow on activity)

Learning outcome:

· Building group empathy and learning from each other.

· Having a coping strategy they thinks works for them to go home and test.

Facilitator notes:

The follow on activity allows the group to create a list of well-being activities that they can draw from and helps them think about positive ways of dealing with challenges. It also helps the group to lean on one another and explore ways of coping together. The group may want to photograph these or maybe you can put them all together in a resource or stick the speech bubbles on the walls in the space.

Time


Resources

30 min

Follow on Activity

Put the speech-bubbles up in the room and invite everyone to take a look at other activities that have been written down.

On spare speech bubbles ask the participants to write down other activities that come to mind and add them to the room.

Discuss how likely we are to do these activities and what would help to maintain them.

Discussion marker: which ones stand out for them and why. Highlight that while we can’t always do these or all of these there are things we can do to support our well-being. Ask the group how they can remind themselves to engage in some of these activities on a regular basis.

Speech bubbles printed on paper

Pens

(alternatively you can hand out blank paper and ask the participants to draw a speech bubble on it.)

3 / 15 min

Check out

Choose from suggestions or one sentence around What was useful and what can they take away from this.

*Ask the group to take away at least one of the activities to try at home over the next week. You could check back in about these the following week to see how people have got on.

Session feedback

Activity set up:



Activity delivery:







Activity 5: Making sense of anxiety/Living positively with anxiety

Session: Making sense of anxiety (main activity)

Theme: Making sense of emotions

Ideas for delivery Week:

Week 5- 6 (before work placement)

Learning outcome:

· Being able to describe what anxiety is and the ability to describe how anxiety can make people feel.

· Being able to identify every day triggers for anxiety in us.

· Being able to name and implement positive strategies for dealing with anxiety.


We know that experiencing anxiety at different times is a normal part of life. There will always be things that make us nervous or make us feel anxious, some common ones are things like public speaking, job interviews, falling out with friend, going to the dentist etc. Sometimes being a bit anxious can give us the adrenaline that we need to be able to do something that is a bit scary. Think about someone doing a bungee jump; they will be very anxious but the adrenaline in their body will help to give them the push to complete it. What we want young people to understand is that when we feel very anxious about lots of everyday things, and our anxiety stops us from carrying out what we need to do, that is where we might need to get some help and support.

Please Note: Anxiety can be heightened by stress or lack of sleep amongst other factors. Some of the tips from activity 2 can be used here as well or referenced.

Time


Resources

2 /5 min

Group agreement- Facilitator & group to remind themselves of session agreement

Group agreement

5/ 10 min


20 / 30 min

Main Activity

Get everyone to line up and explain that the room is a continuum. One end represents being very relaxed while the other end represents being very anxious. Read out scenarios. Ask the group to move up and down the continuum depending on how the scenario makes them feel (before / during / after).

Scenarios:

(Depending on the group you can create scenarios that are more in line with their experiences).

· 'You are asked to deliver a presentation to 30 VIP’s in two days’ time’

· ‘In your dream you are back at school and have to sit a maths exam but you can’t remember anything’

· ‘You have an interview for a job you really want and have just spilled coffee down your top’

· ‘You have to confront a friend who has upset you’

· 'You are at the supermarket check-out when you realise you left your phone and wallet at home’.

During each scenario when people are standing at different points as them to explain why they are stood where they are and if there is anything that they could do I that situation to make themselves less anxious.

Discussion marker: When everyone has been brought back together as a group ask them to reflect on the activity and think about: What have they noticed? Is the anxiety / fear always the same? Where do we feel anxiety physically in our body? What can we do to minimise the feeling of anxiety or manage events / situations that appear?

Session: Living positively with anxiety (follow on activity)

Learning outcome:

· Understanding ways to help cope when feeling anxious


Same as above

Time


Resources

30 min

Follow on Activity

Ask the group to come up with things that help them personally reduce anxiety. This might include spending time alone, talking to a friend, chewing gum, exercise, etc.

Re-read the scenarios, but add a protective factor to see if that has an impact. For example:

· ‘You are asked to deliver a presentation to 30 VIP’s in two days’ time – but a friend has offered to help you rehearse’

· ‘In your dream you have to sit a maths exam but you can’t remember anything – you wake up and take a few deep breaths’

· ‘You have an interview for a job you really want and have just spilled coffee down your top – you know you can make a joke about it in the interview’.

Get everyone in a circle and discuss the physical impact of anxiety, such as racing heart, feeling nauseous, sweaty palms, and what strategies we can put in place to help.

Discussion marker: Explain to the group that if our anxiety stops us from doing the things that we want to do, and gets in the way of our everyday life then we might need to get some help with managing it. If however we can recognise the signs of anxiety in ourselves and the physical cues we get when we feel anxious we can help to identify the things that help us cope.

All young people should take time (in the session or at home) to think about what specific situations make them feel anxious and think in advance about things that they can do to help themselves cope.

Time permitting you can try out a breathing technique from the Mindfulness activities. This could be particularly relevant to when they are leaving Team or just before their work placement. Get the young people to think about how to manage that anxiety in the workplace and how they might mitigate it, and who they could get help from.

3 / 15 min

Check out

Choose from suggestions or one sentence around what was useful and what can they take away from this.

Session feedback

Activity set up:



Activity delivery:







Tips for dealing with stress/anxiety

· Pause - make time during the day to take breaks or pauses. Pausing throughout the day can prevent stress from building up.

· stop what you are doing

· look out of the window

· let your shoulders drop

· stretch

· allow your mind to calm down

If you find yourse

· Web viewWell-Being and Resilience on The Prince’s Trust Team Programme (version . 3) Delivery . I. nformation . P. ack. for Team Leaders – January. 202. 1. Co-created by The

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