Black Country Brighter Lives, the charity associated with Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, has been awarded a £109,000 grant through the NHS Charities Together’s Innovation Challenge Fund. The funding will support initiatives focused on tackling mental health inequalities among young people in Sandwell.
The grant will be used to develop youth-led communications aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing, including podcasts, campaigns, and events to spark important conversations around mental health.
Additionally, the project will provide opportunities for young people to train as community health researchers and ambassadors, with a focus on improving NHS staff’s ability to engage effectively with children and young people.
Olivia Horgan, Health Inequalities Strategy Lead at Black Country Healthcare, emphasized the importance of addressing mental health disparities: “In the Black Country, we know that there is inequality in access to mental health support for children and young people from diverse backgrounds. This inequality can lead to greater numbers of individuals from these backgrounds needing adult mental health services later in life.”
Horgan expressed excitement about the funding, stating, “We are so pleased to be awarded this funding which will help us to connect with more children and young people and learn how to reduce inequalities for them now and in the future.”
Kuli Kaur-Wilson, Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer/Deputy CEO at Black Country Healthcare, highlighted the significance of community collaboration: “Working with our communities to provide early and proactive support is one of our organisation’s top priorities. We know there are creative, talented young people in Sandwell from different cultures and backgrounds who can help us tell their stories to benefit others.”
Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, voiced support for the initiative: “We’re delighted to award Black Country Brighter Lives £109,400 to support projects over the next three years. We know that sadly, where someone is born can affect their long-term health, and this, along with other projects across the UK, is aimed at tackling unfair health inequalities and ensuring every young person receives the support they need.”
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