In this newsletter:
Meet our new Peer Service Designers
We recruited 4 more young people from Gwent
to join us as Peer Service Designers.
Learn about our prototypes
The Peer Service Designers are working on developing
4 prototypes based on the insights from our discovery report.
Meet our Project Evaluators
We’ve appointed two project evaluators to partner
with us on the evaluation of Mind Our Future Gwent.
Meet our Peer Service Designers
Meet the (new additions to the) team!
We’re thrilled to have 4 more enthusiastic young people from across Gwent to join our team of Peer Service Designers, taking our group total up to 12.
We’ve very proud to introduce Evie, Izzy, Josephine, and Menna:
Evie
18
Tredegar
I wanted to be part of the Mind our Future Gwent project because of its focus on young people’s mental health.
I feel passionate about contributing to initiatives that aim to improve mental health facilities in our community.
Izzy
17
Caerphilly
I joined Mind our Future Gwent because I have suffered from mental health difficulties myself and really wanted to see a change in certain aspects of care and treatment.
Over the past couple of months I haven’t had the best experiences with mental health services; from lack of understanding to complete denial it’s been a tough process trying to get the right support.
When I heard about the opportunity to be a part of the Mind our Future Gwent team, I signed up immediately.
It is really important to me that mental health services are best fitted for the people using them, and I really want to help by putting suggestions forward and giving feedback so that mental health services are best fitted for the people using them.
Josephine
16
Newport
I wanted to improve mental health services in Gwent. As a young person who has accessed many different types of mental health services across Gwent, I have seen its successes and I have been victim to its failures and I want to ensure that young people in the future can have many mental health services, that are properly built for them. Even though there has been great strides in involving young people’s voices in the process, it is still not adequate.
I loved being in the residential in 2023, even though I was not involved in the project at the time (I was a Wellbeing Ambassador), it was fantastic to see a greater sample of young people's voices about mental health services and gave me a greater stride to improve the service.
17
Monmouthsire
I wanted to be a part of mind our future gwent to make an actual difference in the way young people receive support for mental health.
Menna
Prototypes
The Peer Service Designers are developing 4 prototypes
using the insights that came out of the discovery report.
They are:
Prototype 1
Campaigning & Social Media
We’ll develop campaigns aiming to combat stigma by providing young people with clear information on available support services.
We’ll prioritise online platforms like social media where young people are most engaged.
This prototype will also promote the work of the other 3 prototypes.
Prototype 2
Staff Training
Young people reported feeling inadequately supported by some professionals due to a lack of training and inappropriate language use.
To address this, we'll co-develop a training package with both professionals and young people.
This package will equip professionals with the skills and knowledge to better support young people facing various concerns.
Prototype 3
SPACE Panels
SPACE-Wellbeing currently helps children and young people by coordinating mental health support across different agencies.
While it aims to get children the right help quickly, young people themselves often aren't involved
in the process.
This prototype aims to change
this by empowering young people to self-refer and actively participate in decisions about their care and treatment.
Prototype 4
Peer Support
Peer support creates a safe space for open communication and shared understanding.
Unlike traditional therapy, it offers a non-judgmental environment where young people can connect with peers facing similar struggles.
We'll pilot a programme utilising peer support, providing a youth-friendly alternative for those hesitant to access traditional services.
Stakeholder Event
Now that the Peer Service Designers are well into developing their prototypes and we have new evaluation partners on board, we’d love to have you at our next stakeholder meeting.
The meeting will take place in-person at Mercure Newport Hotel in Newport.
Your attendance is very valuable, so we appreciate your efforts to get involved!
Meet our Project Evaluators
Meet our evaluators
We’re pleased to announce that we have Anna Nicholl and Richard Thurston on board as our Mind Our Future Gwent project evaluators.
They've worked across government, universities, and charities, and now they're teaming up to help Mind Our Future Gwent with project evaluation. They get how frustrating it can be to track impact, so they're on a mission to build better support. Their experience aligns perfectly with MoFG project, making them a great fit!
Anna Nicholl
Anna offers consulting expertise on impact, strategy, and policy. She uses innovative methods to develop creative solutions that are impactful and collaborative.
With over 20 years of experience in Wales' voluntary sector and public policy, she understands the unique landscape. Previously, Anna led a Wales-based programme to enhance impact practices for non-profits.
Anna’s consulting work includes supporting organisations like The Wallich and Oxfam with defining outcomes and evaluation.
Anna is passionate about inclusivity in her work. She co-delivered a programme empowering young disabled people to participate in democracy, and designed another programme for refugees and asylum seekers to have their voices heard in government policy.
Richard Thurston
Richard brings 30 years of research and evaluation experience, recently earning an MBE for his contributions.
He's an expert in "What Works" approaches to social issues, having studied areas like reducing youth offending.
Previously, he served as President of the UK Evaluation Society and held a key research role in the Welsh Government, leading studies on children, education, and youth well-being.
Richard is passionate about including young people's voices in research. He's facilitated youth participation in research projects and ensured their findings reached policymakers.
He's also a published author and speaker, and currently works at Cardiff University, focusing on building a strong foundation for evidence-based practice, especially within the voluntary sector.
Newsletters
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Keep in touch!
Email Address
info@mindourfuturegwent.co.uk
Social Media
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