The Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement is launching a campaign to highlight growing mental health problems amongst young people, as it marks its eightieth year in England and Wales.
“Mind the Gap” aims to raise awareness of anxiety and depression particularly linked to use of social media. The campaign will be unveiled at an eightieth anniversary Mass celebrated today in Salford by Bishop John Arnold.
Founded as a lay-led international movement, mainly for young factory workers, YCW now has a diverse membership of 17-30 year olds and aims to get young people to “reflect on their everyday lives in the light of their faith”.
One of the first aims of the campaign is to distribute a questionnaire to gather feedback from as many young people as possible about their mental health concerns, followed by resources and training sessions. Two experts have been drafted in to assist: Maura Regan OBE (pictured), chief executive of Carmel Education Trust and national lead on mental health, and Professor Peter Kelly, director of public health in northeast England. Speaking to The Tablet, the chaplain to the YCW movement, Mgr John Marsland, said that this issue was chosen after visits to YCW groups around the country. “It seemed that in every group we went to, young people were suffering from low-level anxiety or depression and the issues of cyberbullying, self-harm and suicide were also raised. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of help around so we wanted to get more people talking about it.”
Eighteen-year-old Callum is one of those who provided feedback to the campaign organisers: “I have friends who spend a lot of time on social media trying to impress one another and they are obsessed with making themselves look good and happy and with looking like they are doing all kinds of exciting things which aren’t in fact true. Then they get depressed if they don’t get ‘liked’ enough.”
Rachel, 14, complained of the pressure on young people: “… to do well, to look good, to have up-to-date things like new phones or go on fancy holidays. It’s hard to admit you have mental problems ’cos people will think you are crazy or make fun of you.”
Mgr Marsland says the YCW is a valuable support to young workers, for example on zero hours contracts: “The YCW allows digital millennials to reflect on their lives and gives them support to stand up for what they believe in.”
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