Subscribe to the RSS feedDo you like taking photos? This competition may be just your thing.
Do you like taking photos? See Me have a competition that may be perfect for you!
See Me is the national campaign to stop stigma against people with mental health issues.
So what is stigma? See Me say that its about ‘being avoided, ignored, talked about, laughed at or bullied’ all because your mental health isn’t great. When you consider that at least 1 in 10 young people have mental health issues, that’s a lot of people having a really hard time. One thing you can do is to look out for people at your school - be a good friend and try to encourage them to get extra help if they need it.
To enter the photo competition, take a photo on the theme ‘Be there. Be yourself’. It’s up to you what your photo is like. The idea is to link this theme with your thoughts about mental health and wellbeing.
To find out more about the competition and get an entry form, visit the See Me website.
Below is page one of a cool comic on the See Me website. To read the comic, click on this weblink.
Stressed out?
Last week I went to an event about supporting young people’s mental health. People sometimes say silly things about mental health. Maybe they don’t really understand what it means. But the truth is that all of us have days when we feel rubbish from time to time. When bad stuff happens, or people hurt us or get on our nerves, or when we’re worried about things.
The young film-makers get support from the youth service of Royston Stress Centre. If you are a young person or a youth organisation in North Glasgow you can get a free copy of the dvd from North Glasgow Healthy Living by calling 0141 336 7000.
If you are feeling low, depressed, stressed or anxious, its really important to tell someone you trust. Talking about how you feel is a really important first step to getting help. I know its not always easy to talk to your friends, family or teachers. But there are other people who can help.
You can call Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87, or Childline on 0800 11 11.
And if you want to chat to someone about stuff going on in your life that is making school really hard for you, the Enquire helpline would love to hear from you. You can call Enquire on 0845 123 2303. Or if you prefer, email us.
Last but not least, there is some really good info on the Look Ok Feel Crap website.
Need something fun to do this weekend? Check out the cool stuff going on for Refugee Week
A refugee is someone who has had to run away from their home country because it’s not safe to be there. It may be that they have had to leave because of war or because armed gangs or corrupt people in power are making it very dangerous for them.
There are lots of cool activities around Scotland this weekend to celebrate Refugee Week. There are short films, comedy, poetry readings and music. There’s even a radio station you can listen to! Check with your parents/carers that its ok to go before you do so, some of the adult stuff might not be such fun!. To search for fun things to do, go to the Refugee Week website.
Newspapers sometimes say some really silly things about refugees. The truth is that refugees have had a very scary, horrid time in their country and they deserve to live in a safe place just like us.
If there are any refugees at your school, why not make friends and show them a warm Scottish welcome?
Many refugees have overcome hard times and gone on to do wonderful things for our communities in the UK. Check out these stories about refugees - there’s a rather nice looking model, a flamenco guitarist, a teacher, actor, and more!
Enquire talks to Vice Chair of Scottish Youth Parliament
Met up with Kris from the Scottish Youth Parliament this week to find out all the gossip and get info about their latest campaign ‘Being Young is Not a Crime’. The Scottish Youth Parliament are about to celebrate their 10th birthday - lots of cool stuff planned, as Kris explains in this interview. So Enquire would like to wish the Parliament a very happy birthday - here’s looking forward to the next 10 years of fabulous work….
Have a listen to the interview with Kris.
You can also read a transcript of the podcast. Continue reading this entry »
Enquire talks to Leith Primary about drama, bullying and making school a better place
This week I met up with Liam, Kyle, Natasha and Sara at Leith Primary. Together with 4 other friends at school they came up with a fantastic drama about racist bullying. The drama won them a prize at a talent show put on by ELREC (Edinburgh and Lothian Race Equality Council).
You can find out more about ELREC’s work with young people by visiting their website.
You can also read a transcript of the podcast. Continue reading this entry »
Respect is the word of the week
Met up with some of the lovely folk at RespectMe a few days ago. RespectMe is Scotland’s campaign to stop bullying. I thought this poster below was really cool - it has a very important message.
Being bullied hurts and knowing what to do to make it stop and who to turn to for help can be stressful and confusing. Check out the RespectMe website, it has advice on who to speak to if you or someone you know is being bullied.
If you want to speak to someone now you can call Childline’s Bullying Line on 0800 11 11.
Is someone you know drinking too much alcohol? Are you?
This week Enquire met up with Alcohol Focus Scotland to talk about how alcohol affects young people’s lives.
It may be that someone in your family is drinking too much and you feel ashamed and don’t know who to talk to about it. Being worried and upset about things going on at home can make school really hard.
Or maybe you yourself are drinking alcohol with your friends or on your own. Its important to remember that too much alcohol can make you feel really ill and can stop you making clear judgements about your actions. People who drink too much may suffer from depression too, and there are also lots of long term health risks. Also, don’t forget! - the law says you can’t go into a pub or shop and buy alcohol until you are 18.
Its important to talk to someone you trust if you have questions about alcohol or feel worried about how much you or someone else in your life is drinking. You could tell a friend, your fave teacher or a youth worker.
I also found out this week that Young Scot and the Scottish Government have got together a panel of young people from all over Scotland to look at issues to do with alcohol. Its called the National Youth Commission on Alcohol. They’re hopefully going to come up with some bright ideas about how to change people’s attitudes to alcohol and encourage people to drink in a responsible way. You can find out more about the Youth Commission on Alcohol here.
Enquire talks to Duddingston Primary about street dancing, bullying and gangs
This week I met up for a chat with some pupils at Duddingston Primary on a lovely sunny day. We did a podcast interview about a cool street dance which they won a prize for at a recent talent show organised by the Edinburgh and Lothian Race Equality Council. Lots of Primary schools took part in the talent show - to enter it pupils had to come up with a drama, poem, poster or dance about racist bullying. Duddingston Primary made up a dance about gangs who fight each other because they are from different ethnic backgrounds.
Its really important to tell someone you trust if you are being bullied. Don’t suffer in silence. If you don’t want to talk to your parents or teachers about it, call Childline on 0800 11 11.
You can find out more about the youth club at Edinburgh and Lothian Race Equality Council here.
‘About us’ - a new video in British Sign Language
As a contribution to Deaf Awareness Week from the 4 - 10 May 2009, I’ve uploaded a new video in BSL (British Sign Language) to our website. The video is 7 minutes long and it describes what we do in Enquire. It has English subtitles and there’s also an MP3 audio version on the page. Please let me know what you think of it!
The new ‘About us’ video is online here
I’ve been working on the BSL translations of our guides since March, and I intend to have 3 more videos online by the end of May. Don’t go away!
Exam time coming up - how are you feeling?
Its coming up to exam time. How are you feeling?
Nervous?
Ready?
Stressed?
You might feel that you need some extra help to do your best in exams. It’s up to your school to make sure you get this extra help, but you should be able to have a say in deciding what help you need. So if you are worried that your school isn’t arranging extra help for you, make sure you tell a teacher, your parents or someone else you trust.
And remember, if you do feel worried, its really important to talk to someone.
I wish you all the best luck.