Our new CEO – the first ten weeks!

It’s arguably a particularly challenging time to take on the leadership of a young people’s mental health charity. As Hannah says, there is so much going on in our society and the wider world that can affect our wellbeing:

“The cost of living crisis is still looming large in the lives of many families and individuals. The increase in the minimum wage has done little to move us towards a real living wage, so many people are still hugely worried about money.

“Talk of an election too can bring a range of emotions: hope for changes outlined in manifestos may be mixed with disillusionment and concern about the future.

“And so many people – especially the young – will have been affected by the violent murder of Daniel Anjorin. The media coverage of this tragic event also inflicted harm to so many, showing huge bias in terms of language and column inches when compared to the coverage granted when a white young person is sadly killed. Seeing Black lives being treated so differently adds to the trauma felt by families and communities – it’s likely to be on the minds of many of the young people we serve.”

10 weeks in

“The Trust obviously can’t solve all these problems! But it has real potential to have a positive effect on the mental health of children from all areas, communities and backgrounds in the UK. That’s what I’m most excited about, though I recognise that extending our reach in this way is not going to be quick or easy.”

“As part of this approach, we are going to be looking a lot more at how best we can ‘support the support systems’ around children and young people’s mental health.

“I see families, education and community as the three pillars of these support systems. We’ll be creating strategic objectives to inform our work with each pillar. They’ll be co-produced with young people, staff, our freelance trainer team and other stakeholders. Then in November, we’ll feed this into our new business strategy.”

Supportive and welcoming

Consultation is key to the way Hannah works and she’s pleased to have found the Charlie Waller Team very supportive so far:

“The office team and our freelancers are phenomenal. They’ve been so lovely and welcoming. It’s been the same working with the Trustees and other stakeholders. I feel they have all come alongside me so quickly, with enthusiasm for my vision for the charity – both in terms of equity, diversity and inclusion, and stepping into community spaces.

“I’m really enjoying the ‘thinking’ sessions we’ve started – I’m learning lot from other people’s thoughts, experience and opinions. I arrived with a  ‘blurry’ vision for where I wanted to take us and the sessions are helping it become more defined and more shared.”

Movement for mental health

National awareness weeks are increasingly popular as a way of raising charities’ profiles. Hannah says:  

“I’m pleased that we’ve really got behind the theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week. It’s so important that ‘movement’ is understood to be more than just ‘running’.

“I have an autoimmune condition that affects my joints, so I can’t engage in high-impact activities like running. I’m not that keen on swimming or cycling either to be honest! But I am lucky enough to enjoy horse riding, walking the dog and kitchen dancing to some terrible music (which is one of the ways I decompress)!

“Getting moving for your mental health doesn’t have to be about doing a heart-racing aerobics class, it’s about finding a way to move that works for you and your wellbeing.”

You can find out more about the Trust’s involvement in Mental Health Awareness Week below: 

Mental Health Awareness Week