A programme led by Mental Health UK and supported by Lloyds Banking Group has helped more than 23,000 young people in Wales to manage new pressures and responsibilities as they enrol into university or step onto the career ladder.
The Bloom initiative is delivered for free in schools to 14–18-year-olds across the UK. With three quarters (75%) of mental illnesses starting before a person’s 18th birthday, one in six young adults are now likely to suffer from issues, up from one in nine before the pandemic, according to Mental Health First Aid.
The Bloom initiative gives young adults the tools and knowledge to help build their resilience so they can better maintain their mental health through stressful periods like exams, finding a job or going to university.
Lloyds Banking Group colleagues have fundraised for Mental Health UK’s Bloom programme since 2019, making the Bloom programme possible UK-wide. The Group has raised a total of £14 million for the charity since 2017.
Course content is co-delivered by teachers who are trained for free by a mental health expert. Bloom aims to create a long-term legacy of mental health support in schools through teacher training, with more than 300 trained in Wales alone. The programme is delivered in Welsh and English.
Katie Legg, Directory of Strategy and Partnerships at Mental Health UK, said: “Young people experience more big life moments than any other age group, and the ability to deal with this level of change and uncertainty is a key skill that can make a real difference.
“Never has the need to support young people’s resilience been greater, as so many have experienced an extensive period of uncertainty and upheaval as a result of the pandemic. But we know that young people with greater levels of resilience are more able to identify their stressors and handle them in a mentally healthy way.
“Bloom is flourishing in Wales with Lloyds Banking Group’s support, and strong engagement by teachers is really helping to embed it into the educational culture so it can be sustained for many years.”
Nicola Bannister, Ambassador for Wales at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “From Bangor to Cardiff, universities across Wales opened their doors his year to an intake like no other.
“Recent school-leavers have battled through such a stressful and uncertain time – taking lifechanging exams while balancing the regular anxieties of moving away from home and planning for the future.
“As a provider of financial services to 30 million people UK wide, it’s really important for us to support initiatives like this. That’s because we know that mental and financial health is intrinsically linked, and one can easily impact the other. If young adults are equipped with the knowledge to manage their mental health, they’ll be in a better position to stay on top of money by taking action or seeking help before serious issues arise.”
