Pupils at King Edward’s Witley recently welcomed writer and activist Natasha Devon MBE to the school for a series of talks to mark World Mental Health Day.
Natasha is a writer, speaker and campaigner who has dedicated her life to promoting positive mental health, body image, gender and social equality.
Named as one of the 500 most influential people in Britain in 2015, Natasha visits schools and colleges throughout the UK delivering presentations and conducting research with teenagers, teachers and parents.
Each of her talks in her series titled Where’s your Head at? was tailored to the age of the audience, with teachers and parents also attending.
The talks aimed to change the law to further protect our mental health and just two days prior to her visit to the school, she presented a petition containing more than 200,000 signatures to Downing Street. The campaign has gained the support of celebrities including Rachel Riley, Ortis Deley and Tom and Giovanni Fletcher. Her ‘Mental Health Media Charter’ supporters include Beverley Knight, Stephen Dixon (Sky News) and Vanessa Feltz.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, increasing numbers of schoolchildren are struggling to cope with their mental health amidst rising rates of depression, anxiety and self-harm. Natasha spoke about why good mental health is fundamental to enable children and young people to thrive in life and says it’s vital to tackle mental health problems early.
Natasha said: “I want to make it easier to talk about mental health. Evidence shows that the earlier a mental health issue like stress, anxiety and depression is detected, the easier it is to manage and treat.”
Mrs Naomi Skau, PSHE co-ordinator, commented: “King Edward’s has a long-standing tradition for its unrivalled commitment to pastoral care. One of our top priorities at King Edward’s is the health and wellbeing of our pupils. Particularly at a time when young people are facing unprecedented levels of pressure in life which can lead to anxiety and depression. Emotional wellbeing is critical to developing a healthy successful school community and we have key measures in place to encourage pupils to talk to their teachers about any issues or worries they are experiencing so they can be tackled early, and pupils are equipped to thrive in life.”