The Grace Dear Trust

We’re a small charity working to bring about change within young people. We want to help raise awareness, reduce the stigma which surrounds mental health and encourage more people to speak openly about their feelings no matter how big or small. We are currently working with a small number of schools in surrey giving presentations, providing teachers with mental health training and training young people to become mental health ambassadors. We will be providing stress free after school clubs such as mindfulness and yoga to relive stress from young people.

The long-term goal is to work with more schools and youth groups. We aim to work with parents, giving talks about mental health to help them spot the signs and talk to their children openly. Most importantly we want people to know there are other option out there and suicide does not need to be one of them. We want people to know that ‘it’s ok not to be ok’.

How does your organisation contribute to preventing suicide and supporting those affected by it?

Mental health in young people is one of the fastest growing problems in today’s society. By assisting schools and youth groups, helping them to understand how important it is for young people to be open about their feelings and for them to get involved in what we are trying to achieve.

We want to partner with people qualified in this field so together we’re stronger and can promote mental health more broadly, using events and assembly’s as well as mental health weeks in schools using different way to communicate mental health through art, music, creative writing and sport.

What are your current priorities?

Mental health Week

No lessons, no structure, just mental health and a relaxed environment. Each day there will be a different focus, for example the use of creativity for your mental wellbeing.

Charity Event

To spread the word and to raise money for a great cause. We will put on at least 4 events a year to engage people and to encourage people to get out of their comfort zone, these will include sporting events, music festivals and fashion shows.

Professional counsellor

Getting counsellors to support our charity and getting them involved for when awareness and education isn’t enough, we want to put the professional in touch with the people who need it before its too late.

What challenges are you currently facing?

The challenge is to work with schools throughout the year and not just as a one off organisation.