Youth Groups

There are a lot of different types of youth group that focus on striving to provide a safe, social environment for young people, often presenting themselves as a way to ‘be active’ and ‘discovering new things’.

Different youth groups centre around different things. For example:  church groups can often be associated with positive community, fun socialisation and prayer; Scout groups are typically associated outdoor adventure activities, discovering skills and challenges.

Whilst these are perhaps the most common type of youth groups, they are not the only ones!

A youth group can allow for, once a week, a period of time in which you can meet new people, discover new ideas in an active, social setting. It may help to develop social skills and open up a new sport, or activity you thought you wouldn’t have had interest in before discovering it.

Youth groups often encapsulate various forms of self-care techniques (such as playing music, sports activities, art workshops, travelling to new places...etc.) particularly as many groups are becoming more aware of the importance of caring for oneself and keeping their mental health in mind.

You can find details of different youth groups online or via organisations such as UK Youth.

                               

There isn’t much academic research in the area of self-care for young people who are living with mental health issues. We are trying to find out more about what works for different people so we can better advise other young people what to try.

If you’ve tried this activity when you were struggling in relation to your mental health, please email us at comms.requests@annafreud.org and let us know if it helped you.