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Mental Health Support

Mental health problems can affect anyone. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health issues you can use the following websites for support:

Kooth is an online platform which provides counselling for children and young people. Counselling is safe, anonymous and free. Kooth is accessible on smartphones, tablets and desktops.

You can access counselling from 12 noon to 10pm Monday to Friday. On weekends, you can speak with a counsellor from 6pm to 10pm.

You can visit the website here: https://www.kooth.com

ChatHealth is a confidential text messaging service that enables young people to contact their local public health school nursing team. ChatHealth provides help with mental health as well as other issues such as alcohol, drugs and relationships

You are able to contact your school nursing team Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (except bank holidays).

You can text your school nursing team via this number: 07480 636050

YoungMinds Crisis

Young people can use this messenger service for support when experiencing a mental health crisis. You will speak to a trained volunteer, who will listen to your problems. They will help you to think through your feelings and aim to help you take the necessary steps to feel better.

This messenger service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

You can speak to a trained volunteer by texting this number: 85258

I hope these websites can help with your mental health related questions and provide the support you need. You should also talk to a teacher or parent if you are worried about your mental health.

  • Article by – Jasmine Lidher
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GCSE’s and Exam Stress

It is that time again and Year 11’s from all over the country have started their GCSE’s!

Exams, pressure and making sure we do well in our GCSE’s often puts a huge amount of pressure on us young people. Some people find it really difficult and struggle to deal with this pressure and stress. In the Welwyn Garden City town centre, the Natural Health shop is offering support and advice to anyone who needs it.

The Youth Council wishes you a HUGE good luck anyone taking their GCSE’s at the moment. This can be a really stressful time for everyone so make sure you get plenty of rest before any exam. It is important to keep drinking and eating well in order to have a ready, healthy mind in the exam room.

Even though this can be a challenging time, try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Try your best; that’s all anyone can ask!

UPCOMING: Welwyn Hatfield Youth Council go to Herts Pride

Herts Pride 2019 is a huge event for all the LGBTQ+ community (and supporters). Here, they can express their feelings about coming out, and even give advice to people. It’s all to celebrate pride.

Us at the Welwyn Hatfield Youth Council, have decided to set up a stall at this event. We have many ideas of what to do at this event, and we have already chosen some of the best to do at our stall:

  • Treasure Hunt
  • Guess the flag
  • Post-it note wall

Treasure Hunt

For the treasure hunt, there will be certain things jotted around near the stall, which can be found and ticked off by participants.

Guess The Flag

Guess The Flag aims to increase the knowledge of the different flags in LGBTQ+. This tests people’s knowledge of the flags, to see how many they know.

Post-it note wall

The aim of the post-it note wall is mainly to let people write what pride means to them, and why they are proud of being part of LGBTQ+

What are we doing to help LGBTQ+ Youth?

This is a question that is asked by many. To help LGBTQ+ youth, the Youth Council are having a pride month in June where we will be campaigning on social media and supporting the Herts Pride movement. This will help to educate people in schools about the LGBTQ community and give statistics, support, advice and much more. There will also be some information about famous, inspirational LGBTQ+ people so others suffering in the community can feel less alone.

Facts and Futures

The Welwyn Hatfield Youth Council were at the Year 9 Facts and Futures Fair 2019. They ran a stall with information, activities and of course… a selfie mirror.

The WHYC also has a short questionnaire which asked local students what activities they would like to see happening over Big Summer 2019.

One of the Youth Councils priorities is ASB (Anti Social Behaviour) and how to tackle it. The WHYC also has a short questionnaire which asked local students what activities they would like to see happening over Big Summer 2019. Swimming, skating and arts and crafts were popular responses.

If you have an activity which you would like to see for young people over the summer you can send an email to:

YouthCouncil@welhat.gov.uk

Thank You!

“Earths Fate is in Your Hands”

Mural created by Maria, the Welwyn Hatfield Youth Council and children in WGC. We wrote down pledges of things we will do to help save the environment.

Welwyn Hatfield Youth Council made an appearance at the Welwyn Garden City Environment Day in April. Two of the members took to the spotlight shortly after Greenpeace speaker (Lisa Thompson) to deliver a short speech about why the environment has become one of their recent priorities.

Jasmine’s Transcript on Sea Pollution:

“In 2016, 9 out of 10 people agreed it is important for politicians to take care of wildlife and the environment.
Also in 2016 a survey revealed that two thirds of people aged 16-34 think the environment is a top voting priority for them.
As a Youth Council It is so vital that we promote protecting our environment because we believe as people living on the earth it is our responsibility to conserve the environment we’re living in.
Changes in temperature from increased energy consumption can seriously affect our health due to a rise of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere.
Polluted air can irritate people with asthmas and cause long term lung problems for future generations.
Additionally greenhouse gasses have slashed holes in the ozone layer. This is the outer layer of gasses which protect the earth from the suns heat. And this broken o-zone layer leads to a dangerously high risk exposure to the sun.
This means people are at a higher risk of skin cancer, cataracts and sunburn.
Plastic also is a massive issue for our environment. This toxic material has made its way into fragile ecosystems such as our oceans, breaking down into non-biodegradable micro-plastics which if consumed by animals is fatal.
If we all are to slow to make these changes in our lives to cut out day to day activities which involve being unsustainable we will make this world inhabitable. ” – Jasmine (Youth Councillor)

Nehal/Laura’s Transcript:

“We have been with the Welwyn Hatfield Youth Council for a year and we have only recently taken on the Environment and Climate Change as a priority.
This is because only now realising how important it is to look after our planet.
As a youth council, and as a young person, we share a growing concern that we are ruining our future planet due to the inactions of the previous generations.
As a youth council we plan to campaign, talk and share the word about our changing environment in hope that people, young and old, will realise that we can’t keep going on as we are.
I personally think that every single person in this world needs to play an equal part in saving the environment as it will impact us – young people, the most.
If we all agree to make small changes in our day to day life we can really make a big difference.
If we all work together we can change the world for good, and it’s not too late. With the encouragement and support of more and more people we can make this possible.
The scientists are ringing the alarms about climate change, and so are we.
If anyone would like to know more about how to join the youth council please come talk to me or another youth councillor in a purple top.
Thanks for listening. ” Nehal & Laura (Youth Councillors)