Co-Ray Project

Headliners (UK) is delighted to have been a project delivery partner on a unique project that responded to the challenges young people have faced from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on their mental health.

Young people have faced extensive disruption and challenge throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. There is good evidence to draw on to provide advice and support, but this is often not easily available to young people in accessible and engaging forms.

This work will be led by the UKRI Emerging Minds and Triumph Networks, and supported by the wider Mental Health Networks, to work with Headliners (UK) and Fully Focused as delivery partners from across disciplines, across sectors, and with people with lived experience to:

  • draw together evidence on the mental health and wellbeing impacts of the pandemic on young people,
  • identify priority areas where resources are needed,
  • enable young people to develop resources that will be engaging and accessible to young people, and
  • disseminate the outputs widely.

CoRAY Youth Co-Produced Resources - #CoRAY Voices

#CoRAY Voices Podcast #1

Headliners (UK) and CoRAY are delighted to share the first CoRAY Voices Podcast which focuses on how uncertainty has affected young people's mental health and what we can do to manage, when feeling uncertain. The podcast has been co-produced between Headliners (UK), the young people and the CoRAY project team.




#CoRAY Voices Podcast #2

Headliners (UK) and CoRAY are delighted to share the second CoRAY Voices Podcast which focuses on how uncertainty has affected young people's mental health and what we can do to manage, when feeling uncertain. The podcast has been co-produced between Headliners (UK), the young people and the CoRAY project team.


#CoRAY Voices Podcast #3

Headliners (UK) and CoRAY are proud to share the third CoRAY Voices Podcast which focuses on how young people can seek help in managing their mental health.

The podcast has been co-produced between Headliners (UK), the young people and the CoRAY project team.

A group of young people from the North East examined the evidence informed recommendations for encouraging young people to seek help when they are struggling with their mental health.


#CoRAY Voices Podcast #4

Headliners (UK) and CoRAY are delighted to share the fourth and final CoRAY Voices Podcast which focuses on how young people can manage their social anxiety.

The podcast has been co-produced between Headliners (UK), the young people and the CoRAY project team. A group of young people from the North East examined the evidence informed recommendations for encouraging young people to seek help when they are struggling with their mental health.

The young people interview Dr Eleanor Leigh, a Clinical Research Fellow & Honorary Clinical Psychologist. Eleanor is a clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of Oxford.


CoRAY Approach

Central aspects of our approach are:

 (a) involvement of young people throughout, including creating opportunities for skills development and training to enable young people to be involved at all stages of designing and developing resources across a range of platforms, including

(b) purposeful participation to address the needs of vulnerable groups who are likely to require tailored support and/or may face particular barriers to accessing support, and

(c) collaboration with a wide range of partners who will both feed in insights and feed out outputs to ensure that the resources are disseminated widely through sources that young people trust.

This work is being supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Westminster Foundation.


Our Co-RAY project has identified four key priority areas, which will be the focus of resource production during 2021:  

a) managing change and uncertainty

b) feeling bored, flat and unmotivated

c) feeling lonely, isolated and disconnected

d) encouraging young people to seek help if they are struggling with their mental health.

In collaboration with research and clinical experts, we have produced briefings which provide evidence-informed messages on how to support young people with these four key issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond.