‘Where’s Your Head At?’ Testimonies from Young People in a Testing Time

Hot on the heels of Mental Health Awareness Week, we logged into the virtual launch of a new book today, sharing the experiences of young people in Highland.

Where’s Your Head At? produced by our friends at Youth Highland, is a collection of young people’s personal experiences – looking at how issues around education, home life and lockdown have impacted on their mental health.

The testimonies in the book came from a series of conversations and interviews with young people collected by youth workers across Highland.  They demonstrate the wide range of experiences and challenges that young people are facing in our communities, all in their own words.

“If you talk about your problems they won’t listen to you and most likely put the blame on you. They will tell you they will arrange a meeting and then they will forget about it and not have a meeting with you. Adults just need to start caring about how young people feel.”

The book is a powerful example of how organisations can engage with young people, and the value of supporting young people to have a voice in the decisions and services that affect their lives. This is more important that ever, as we hopefully enter the early stages of a Covid-19 recovery.

The approach ties in well with our ethos at Wave, and our determination to involve young people in shaping the information, advice and support we provide.

To find out more about Where’s Your Head At? and to get hold of a copy, check out the Youth Highland website here. Congratulations to everyone involved at Youth Highland, and to the young people who shared their stories.

“She asked me about my panic attacks and anxiety in front of around 20 other pupils. I was so embarrassed and afraid people would be listening. It was a subject extremely private to me. She asked if I needed more support and I was so desperate for the conversation to end I said no. Had the conversation taken place in a private setting where I would have felt more comfortable maybe my final year wouldn’t have been as overwhelming and stressful as it was.”