Launch of mental health magazine for young people by young people
A new health and wellbeing magazine – Escape, for young people by young people, has been launched as part of a Headliners and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust collaboration.
About 1 in 10 children and young people aged 5 - 16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder according to research published by the UK national statistics in 2004. Young writers from the Priory School in Orpington were encouraged to research issues on mental health and how it affects their peers and produce their findings in a magazine.
“I enjoyed doing the magazine because I like writing. It was a good experience to contribute to something useful that many teens will enjoy and learn from, I mostly enjoyed the activities in our weekly workshops, and also the outings and writing articles.” said 17 year old Tokunbo Adebanjo
Around 500 people attended the meeting at The Indig02 at the 02 (the former Millennium Dome) in Greenwich, to celebrate the release of the first 20,000 copies of the magazine. Escape will be distributed in schools across Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich boroughs.
“The O2 launch was good, we got to see which other companies were involved with Oxleas, and it was also nice to have the free health check,” Tokunbo added.
The writers are members of Headliners - a charity that encourages the personal development of young people through journalism. And the editorial project was sponsored by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust to get young people to think about mental health issues.
“The journalists put in a lot of hard work into the magazine and they should be proud of themselves for this achivement,” said Fiona Wyton Chief Executive of Headliners.
With high production values, the first edition is packed with interesting and hard-hitting features. Reporter Martin Dwyer used a haunting picture of the late Heath Ledger as one of the last characters he played as the Joker in the film Batman; the Dark Knight in his investigation of insomnia - Ledger was a sufferer. And Cathy Garland reports on bullying at school with the headline, She punched me in the face seven times.
Reporter Mairtin Dwyer said: "I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to be involved in this project. The skills I learnt are invaluable and it gave me a helpful insight into the world of professional journalism. The launch of the magazine was a brilliant day. I loved seeing our hard work pay off and I realised that the project can and will make a difference."
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Photo caption;
At the launch of Escape where the journalists were given certificates for producing the magazine. From left, Tokunbo Adebanyo, Mairtin Dwyer, Kim Heath, Charlie Tinworth, Conor Keane, Cathy Garland.
ENDS
Notes to the editor
For more information, images or to request an interview, contact Headliners Media and Communications Officer, Yemi Lufadeju E: yemi.lufadeju@headliners.org T: 0207 7749 9386
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust Communications Officer, Ray Cooling Tel: 01322 625754
About Headliners
Headliners is a UK media agency which inspires and encourages the personal development of young people through journalism.
Through Headliners, young people are trained to research and write stories on issues that are important to them for publication in national and local newspapers, magazines, television and radio. For more information, visit www.headliners.org
About Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, social care and learning disability services across the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich. For more information on the trust, see www.oxleas.nhs.uk
