BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
school assemblies
The Need:
We all know there are HUGE pressures on young people’s mental health and this has been increased by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 20% of adolescents experience a mental health problem in any given year.
- 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14
- 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
Source: https://nopanic.org.uk/anxiety-statistics
The Assembly:
Jade (16 years old) has presented her assembly - 'Believe In Yourself & Follow Your Dreams' at over 70 South Devon schools.
Jade has ADHD and from the age of 9 she faced a huge amount of personal struggle at school, both academically, socially and with her own mental health. Between the ages of 11 and 13 she fought to overcome severe anxiety, depression and an eating disorder, which led to her self-harming on a regular basis. During her assemblies, Jade tells the story of her personal challenges and how she overcame them with positive goals. Her aim is to de-stigmatise mental health and encourage everyone (including the teachers) to believe in themselves and their dreams, whatever they may be. (please note – self-harm is not mentioned in assemblies)
Jade's work has been internationally recognised. She has been interviewed on the ITV News, featured in a BBC documentary about mental health, shortlisted for a National Diversity Award, in the category of ‘Positive Role Model for Young People' and most recently has been invited to be a keynote speaker at a United Nations endorsed, global conference on neurodiversity.
CLICK HERE to watch a short documentary about Jade, called ‘What’s Your Story’
Outcomes:
The message delivered by Jade and goals of this assembly is to inspire young people to:
- Destigmatise mental health and make it easier to ask for help
- See an inspiring future for themselves.
- Be persistent and keep going as we have not failed until we give up on ourselves
- Be resilient and understand that setbacks & disappointments are for learning and make us stronger
- Accept, respect and celebrate our differences and our dreams.
Student age range:
We have two versions of this assembly to suit both primary and secondary school students.
Delivery:
The assembly presentation can be delivered in person or by a live Zoom link.
We have delivered to audiences as small as 8 and as large as 600 pupils.
Cost:
We are securing grant funding to make the assembly free to access for schools.
Application process:
Please email [email protected] to invite jade to present to your school or discuss the options further
Olivia Craig, CEO MIND Devon
"The work Jade is doing is playing a great role in both breaking down those stigmas around mental health and encouraging young people to talk about their issues. One in 10 of our young people will experience poor mental health, and it is so important to talk to them at primary-school age about emotions and feelings. Jade is the best role model there is, because these young people can identify with her"
Deputy Head Teacher
"The assembly was fantastic and really helped us to think about how we can all achieve great things if we set our targets high and believe in ourselves. To hear first hand all about how you are pursuing your dreams -regardless of what obstacles might present themselves- was inspirational. You spoke with both purpose and passion and you have certainly touched the hearts and minds of us all.... "
Stoke Damerel, Deputy Head Teacher
"It was a pleasure to have Jade in to talk to our children about her challenges and how she battled to overcome them. She was very expressive and kept all 400 pupils engaged as she shared her story... ”
Sunbury Road Primary, Head of Key Stage 2
“Jade is a fantastic role model for all children. She demonstrated the importance of believing in yourself. The children were inspired by Jade's story and her belief you can achieve any of your dreams if you have the determination to do so"
Plaistow Hill, Assistant Head Teacher
"I was absolutely blown away, not only by Jade's wonderful message, but also how confident she was to stand up and talk to the children. There are many teachers who find leading assemblies daunting, so for her to have led so many is amazing. She captivated our children instantly and all were very inspired by her message to be the best person they could be, no matter who they are, what they look like or what stands in their way. She is a very inspirational person and somebody our children could definitely look up to"
St Josephs, Assistant Head Teacher
"Thank you so much for giving up your time to speak to the children at St Joseph's. You were a well-prepared and engaging speaker and I could tell that the children were enthralled with your story. For someone so young, you talked to 160 children from 4-11 years with the confidence of an adult. The message you gave them was very valuable. Thank you for sharing your dream and encouraging our children to follow their dreams. We wish you all the best in your next adventure in Paris. Please let us know how you get on!"
73 schools visited so far...
Our work in schools has directly reached approx. 35'000 students
“There is so much confusion in the world we are growing up in, so much focus on ‘being what we think the world wants us to be’ – like clever, being thin, popular, being sporty…etc. I hope that my assembly will help others see past these things and be brave to follow their own unique dreams whatever they may be”
National Press Coverage
Featured on ITV news, BBC, shortlisted for a NDA Award...
