Regional Youth Panel Report

Young People across Northern Ireland have their say in Action Mental Health’s new Regional Youth Panel Report.

Today marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week and with this year’s theme focused on ‘Taking Action ‘for Yourself,’ for ‘Someone else’, and ‘For all of us‘¹ it feels like the perfect time to share a brand new report from the Action Mental Health Regional Youth Panel (RYP). They recently conducted a survey of young people aged 14–17, which provides valuable insight into the pressures many are facing today. 

The RYP is a group of young people aged 15–25 who are passionate about improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. A collaborative partnership between OUR Generation and Action Mental Health’s Schools & Community Wellbeing Teams, the RYP have been taking meaningful action to better understand the issues currently affecting young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Key Findings

Many respondents to the RYP survey described their mental health as being ‘up and down’, suggesting that changeable moods and wellbeing have become a common reality for many young people.

School work and exam stress emerged as the biggest factors affecting mental health and emotional wellbeing, followed by pressure to do well, worries about the future, body image concerns and loneliness.

The report also highlights the importance of discreet, accessible support for young people. One young person commented:

“Sometimes it’s embarrassing to say you’re struggling.”

Another young person emphasised the value of hearing from trusted professionals in spaces where young people already feel comfortable:

“I definitely think in-school workshops would be helpful, from trained professionals who can be more relatable, knowledgeable and useful to us than teachers.”

The findings also revealed the topics young people most want support with, including managing anxiety, building confidence, coping with depression, healthy relationships and positive body image.

Next Steps

For the RYP, the purpose of the scoping exercise was also to identify solutions. Young people highlighted workshops, social media content, local events and peer-led awareness initiatives as effective ways of sharing information and encouraging conversations around mental health.

These findings will play an important role in shaping the RYP’s future activities and awareness campaigns over the coming months as they continue to advocate for better mental health support for young people across Northern Ireland.

You can read or download the full Action Mental Health Regional Youth Panel Scoping Report here:

¹Mental Health Foundation