Royal Mail helps to improve support for young people experiencing mental health issues

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Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust, Martina Milburn CBE, and Moya Greene, CEO of Royal Mail Group, met today to announce a new partnership which will benefit thousands of young people across the UK.

The partnership will see Royal Mail Group fund a new Mental Health Advisor role within The Prince’s Trust for the next three years. The role will be responsible for planning and implementing improvements to the way the youth charity supports young people with mental health issues.

At the announcement, Martina Milburn and Moya Greene were introduced to Chris Harris, the new Mental Health Advisor, alongside Prince’s Trust supported young people Efaz Ahmed, 24 from Leicester, and Gemma Ingram, 23 from Essex, who shared their experiences of how mental health impacts on young lives.
Chris said; “I’m excited to be working towards a framework at The Prince’s Trust which will ensure young people with mental health issues are automatically supported in the most appropriate way. Anyone can be affected by mental health issues and for those young people who are already vulnerable, it can make their situation even more stressful. By embedding mental health literacy in our programmes we can work with them to overcome barriers they are facing and help them move into education, work or training.”

The partnership will see frontline Trust staff receive Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training so they can address the needs of young people and offer effective support. In addition, they will be tasked with sharing best practice across the organisation and the continued building of local and national partnerships with mental health organisations and services.

Martina Milburn CBE said; “We know from our frontline staff that young people are increasingly experiencing a wide range of mental health issues including anxiety, depression, self harm and eating disorders. Our own research tells us that over 60% of young people not in education, employment or training feel nervous about meeting new people and 35% feel too anxious to leave the house . This new partnership with Royal Mail Group will allow us to improve our systems to make sure we are able to provide the best support to the young people we work with.”

Moya Greene added, “As one of the UK’s largest employers, Royal Mail understands the need for employees to feel supported in all areas of their lives – from career progression to physical and mental wellbeing. Our partnership with The Prince’s Trust builds on this experience and is set to deliver stronger support for the mental health of thousands of young people. We hope that by giving young people the support and tools they require, they will be able to gain employment and give back to the community.”

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Notes to editors:
About The Prince’s Trust
Youth charity The Prince’s Trust helps disadvantaged young people to get their lives on track. It supports 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by The Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health issues, or have been in trouble with the law. The Trust’s programmes give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training. The Prince of Wales’s charity has helped 825,000 young people since 1976 and supports over 100 more each day. Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842.