Being a teenager is tough!
Thousands of children and young people a month, are treated for mental health problems. For some the reasons for their struggles stem from societal and peer pressures, school life and social media influences and online communication. For others the pressure comes from hormonal shifts, family issues, body image expectations and nutrition. The recent global pandemic hasn’t helped.
I have worked with children for over 10 years. In my work I’ve seen firsthand how tricky it can be for young people to feel comfortable talking openly, not only about negative issues but also about the day-to-day on goings of life.
Chatterbox provides a space for young people
As adults, we find ourselves meeting our friends for coffee and talking whilst doing activities. these chats make us feel so much better. They ease our worries or questions we struggle with. However, I felt that the gap was missing for this with children – hence the start-up of Chatterbox!
Chatterbox is a new social club, which encourages and supports young people to connect with each other.
Chatterbox helps teens offload their daily stresses, thoughts and questions. Through after school and weekend events ran in the local community, we aim to provide young people with a space to talk, whilst participating in a fun activity at the same time.
I feel that it is important that young people know how to connect with others. It is important they know how to reach out to either give or receive support to their friends and people around them.
Today’s society is extremely media driven. Good communication skills are vital. Learning how to communicate effectively without being behind a screen (phones, devices etc.) is immensely beneficial. In school, we see so many young people who are confident behind a screen but when it comes to speaking face to face, they feel nervous and insecure. At Chatterbox, we want to ‘Create a Culture of Communication’. We want to help support and empower teens
