October is Black History Month, a time dedicated to learning about Black British achievements and contributions to the UK’s history and culture. We feel it is also important to highlight the injustices and oppression faced by Black young people, which have a huge impact on mental health.
Black young people are more likely to struggle with their mental health and face more barriers to accessing the right support. We won’t stand for this. At YoungMinds, we’re on a mission to make sure all young people can get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.
Through our End The Wait campaign, we’re urging the government to recognise and address the injustices that Black young people face through its promised ten year mental health plan.
We need the government to re-commit to this plan and for it to include commitments such as: a national network of Early Support Hubs (which are more likely to be used by Black young people than other services) and making it a requirement for schools to co-produce their behaviour policies with young people, including Black young people.
We believe that these changes would go some way to improving the mental health experiences of Black young people in this country. But we also recognise that these commitments can only go so far and deeper change is needed to tackle the racism and discrimination that is built into our society.
Help us make sure the government re-commits to its promise of a ten year mental health plan by signing your name on our card to the Health Secretary.