Superstars: Powerful Minds

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TW: mentions of suicide

“As a team we are very passionate about raising awareness for mental health issues, and we wanted to try and brighten peoples days” said Anoushka, when speaking about their social action project.

Kent based team, Powerful Minds, came together with The Sam West Foundation - a charity promoting awareness, diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues affecting children, young adults. The Foundation was created in memory of Sam, a teenager who first started showing signs of depression and anxiety when aged 14. Tragically, only four months after he started being treated for clinical depression, he took his own life at the age of 15. His parents set up the Foundation in memory of Sam and as an effort to help other children, young adults and their families affected by mental health issues.

Powerful Minds decided to carry out a project to start conversations around mental health and raise some money for the Foundation.

“We went into Maidstone Town to carry out our project called ‘A Flower For Your Thoughts’, where we gave out flowers for free as a random act of kindness.” Anoushka said. Both Tesco and local florist Katie’s Flowers donated flowers to the group for the project.

By handing out flowers to the public, the team were able to talk to people about mental health, ask how their days were going, and give out kind notes and affirmations.

The next morning, they went to a local park and did litter-picking, “with the idea that if we improved people’s environment, then their mental health could be improved too.” Then, in the afternoon, Powerful Minds carried out two challenges. The first was a sponsored silence, “to stand in solidarity with all those who feel they cannot speak up about their mental health” and the second was a ‘try not to laugh challenge’, “where we asked members of the public to tell their best jokes, in order to make a member of our team laugh. This encouraged positivity from all age groups and got people laughing!”

For Anoushka, the best bit of the project was making the public smile and improving their day. They said, “Lots of people hadn’t yet spoken to someone else that day, and we felt we were bringing the community together. It was really nice to see lots of people walking around with the flowers we had given them over the few hours after.”

Overall, the team were able to raise £400 for The Sam West Foundation, which means they “can go on to support families who are struggling with mental health.” Absolutely lovely stuff!

If you, or someone you know, is having feelings of depression or anxiety, you can contact The Mix who offer free information and mental health support to under 25s or contact Childline for free on 0800 1111 or via www.childline.org.uk

WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHERE YOU ARE?

Want to carry out some social action in your community but aren’t sure where to start? Take a look at a Changemaker group near you…

And if you’ve already taken part in a social action project that you’re proud of, let us know! Tell us all about it here.