Hi everyone!
It feels very surreal writing this blog – I remember reading the previous delegates’ blogs before applying for One Young World and thinking how lucky I’d feel to be attending as a delegate. And now, here I am representing the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences – and it still doesn’t feel real!
My name is Cicely and I’m a final year psychology student. I’ve just come back from completing my placement at the Mental Health Foundation in London, and I think my work on placement really gave me the push to apply for One Young World. Specifically, mental ill-health is becoming one of the biggest public health challenges that we face. However, the NHS and other services are over-stretched and are struggling to meet demand. We need a new solution to relieve the pressure on services and meet this mental health crisis, and I believe this solution is a focus on prevention– in other words, targeting the root causes of mental ill-health, such as poverty, discrimination and inequality.
So, when I read about the OYW Summit and the opportunity to discuss and generate solutions to these issues, I was so excited to apply because I really want to deepen my understanding of the factors that put people’s mental health at risk and how to tackle them.
Despite feeling so passionate about mental health and social equality, it can sometimes feel quite daunting working in this area – the task can seem huge and sometimes impossible! But what I really love about OYW is that it aims to empower younger people to be at the forefront of positive social change. Experienced leaders, who have already paved the way for positive social change, will be teaching and inspiring younger people to do the same. So, the fact that the Summit is giving younger people the confidence and opportunity to voice their own ideas is truly special, and I feel so honoured and excited to be a part of this movement that OYW has created.
And you can all be involved in this movement too! Throughout OYW, Laura and I will be keeping you updated with highlights, and will even live stream some of the Summit. Just make sure you’re following the OYW Bath social media pages below, so you can help us tackle social issues facing people throughout the world.
https://www.instagram.com/oneyoungworldbath/
Thank you so much for reading my first blog – until next time!
Cicely
Respond
