Action for Children

"Bouncing Back" has huge positive impact in the community

After launching a new youth mental health programme with national children’s charity Action for Children, Ospreys in the Community are delighted to see the huge impact “Bouncing Back” has had across the local community.

Working closely with Ospreys Rugby’s title partner Philtronics LTD, the programme works to support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people in secondary and primary schools.

Since its launch back in October, the team have worked with 17 schools and 108 groups across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend and Aberdare including church groups, young carers and trauma and attachment units.

Delivered through a number of engaging workshops, including through the medium of Welsh, the project provides basic support and knowledge to a wide range of young people, in particular focusing on three key areas: understanding and empathy about mental health, coping strategies and self-care, and the importance of talking and dealing with mental health concerns. 

At the end of each Bouncing Back programme, each participant receives a Mental Health First Aid Kit, providing them with resources that support them to manage their mood and sustain improvements in their emotional wellbeing. Feedback questionnaires following the delivery of each programme will also helps the team to identify those young people who may be at risk of requiring a higher-tier intervention.

Speaking about the programme, Community Foundation Manager, Tom Sloane said: “The need for a project like this was more prevalent than ever after the pandemic. We’ve been hugely committed to the promotion of mental health across all of our programmes at OitC and invested in continuing to increase our resources and provision.

“Thanks to the support of the team at Philtronics raising funds along with others across the community, the Action for Children team have been able to work with these young people on the Bouncing Back Programme and equip them with the knowledge they need to understand their own mental health as well as the confidence to discuss it openly and seek support when needed.”

For more information on this new launch, contact Caryl Dyer, South Wales Service Co-ordinator at Action for Children on caryl.dyer@actionforchildren.org.uk