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Keeping well and positive

We asked children and young people ‘What keeps you well and positive’?

Children & young people want to: 

  • Keep Active -  such as physical activity, being outdoors, play and sports.
  • Connect - Friends, family and pets/animals.
  • Take Notice - safety/protection, being given a chance to be involved in decision making, being listened too.
  • Learning - learning through different experiences (formal and informal learning), value learning and skills.
  • Give Back - helping others, compliments, togetherness, community and kindness.

Children & young people need: 

  • Self-care
  • Good sleep
  • Time to Reflect
  • Having their own space
  • Inclusivity, fairness, equality and teamwork.

Things that matter:

  • Friendship plays an important role in how children and young people connect with the world. These friendships can be with many different people of all ages and there is a significant link to valuing animals/pets
  • Children and young people value participating in their communities and engaging with others. Special emphasis was given to being able to help and support communities by volunteering. An important theme for keeping positive was how we complement each other. This allows young people to support their own personal reflection and recognition to be themselves and feel proud
  • Children and young people of all ages linked wellbeing to arts, crafts and music with the emphasis on how ‘intentionally dis-connecting’ is sometimes as important as being with others.
  • Younger children place an emphasis on the importance of specific clubs such as dancing and the freedom to play, whereas older young people place an importance on sports for their wellbeing. Almost all children and young people linked this to being outside in their communities and being part of a team.
  • Children and young people worry about the issues of the world and basic needs such as food, clothing, safety and having enough money to live on can impact their mental health and wellbeing.

Things that made us think: Children and young people spoke about not only the things that kept them well and positive but they gave us some insight into what worries them too and we felt it was important to share. That young people expressed worries about having enough food at home, being warm and affording clothes. Some young people told us that they are sometimes worried about being safe in the park and community and some young people expressed their worries about wider issues like vaping, politics, the environment and body image.