Hundreds of children to take part in NottAlone’s ‘Self-Care Summer’

NottAlone Live is a free, invite-only mental health event for schools, young people in further education and those outside of traditional school settings, hosted by NottAlone. This year, students from Arnold Hill Academy have chosen the event theme of 'Self-Care Summer'.

The aim of NottAlone Live, which is held at the YMCA Community and Activity Centre in Newark, is to give local young people a day away from the classroom, where they can learn important lessons about managing worries, friendships and good mental health, while also taking part in activities that offer creative or physical outlets such as yoga, dance, art, and creating their own rap songs. They can also learn about the support available to them from local providers and hopefully, feel more knowledgeable about where to go if they need help.

The event, which is in its fourth year and is usually held in February during Children’s Mental Health Week, has been moved this year to July, opening up new opportunities to host outdoor activities for the first time, such as a netball session with England Netball.

Organisers of the event and workshops, who span across Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and NHS, aim to reflect the Self-Care Summer theme by bringing young people together outside of the school environment, learning and sharing ideas, information and practice to support their general wellbeing.

Dr Órlaith Green, Educational Psychologist, Co-Founder of NottAlone and Co-Host of The NottAlone Podcast, said:

“I’m so excited to see the wealth of workshops available to the young people attending NottAlone Live this year. Each year we build on the success of the previous year and this time I feel the teams involved in bringing this together have outdone themselves. The children and young people are in for a truly special day and I hope they learn some valuable lessons about their mental health along the way.”

Dr Maddi Popoola, Educational Psychologist, Co-Founder of NottAlone and Co-Host of The NottAlone Podcast, said:

“Every year we come away from the NottAlone Live events with a real buzz. The young people we meet at the events inspire us and show us that what we’re doing has real meaning. I can’t wait to see it all unfold again and seeing the spark in these young people’s eyes.”

The young ambassadors from Arnold Hill who chose the event’s theme are also holding workshops of their own, where they will share craft skills with their peers, showing them how to create dreamcatchers and scrapbooks for wellbeing.

Also taking place at the event, a special episode of The NottAlone Podcast will be recorded, bringing young people’s voices to the front of the mental health conversation, hearing their experiences and perspectives first-hand. The episode will be released as a special bonus episode of the podcast later in July.

NottAlone is a mental health initiative with a website providing mental health information and links to support for people of all ages in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. It is a partnership between Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board.