The Mix partners with The Royal Foundation to host a forum for young people on World Mental Health Day

by Holly Turner (she/her)

Senior Content & Communications Manager

Tuesday 10th October 2023

The Mix is thrilled to have partnered with The Royal Foundation and Radio 1 to host a unique event for young people this World Mental Health Day. The event, Exploring our Emotional Worlds: A Forum for Young People, was attended by The Prince and Princess of Wales and focused on young people’s wellbeing.

The all-day event took place at the iconic Factory Works in Birmingham (formerly Custard Factory) and it included 100 young people from across the UK, was hosted by BBC1Xtra presenter Nadia Jae, and featured contributions from TV doctor Alex George and BBC Radio 1 presenter Katie Thistleton.

The main focus was on collaborating with young people to listen to their ideas and to create the space for them to learn coping strategies earlier in life, so that they could develop the skills to recognise, express and manage their emotions in healthy ways and live happier lives.

The forum featured a range of interactive workshops and activities with special guests, including:

• A team quiz facilitated by Nadia Jae to share the findings of the survey
• A fireside chat with Dr Alex George about connecting with your emotions
• A group activity challenge on managing your emotions facilitated by young people, The Mix and NCS
• A discussion panel hosted by Katie Thistleton, with journalist and climate activist, Scarlett Westbrook and Yale professor, Marc Brackett
• A wellbeing carousel facilitated by young people, The Mix and NCS, with different workshops to explore young people’s emotional and social worlds

Through this forum, The Prince and Princess wanted to bring young people together to start a conversation about how they manage their emotions and how they can be supported to build their resilience and protective factors such as healthy relationships which make it easier to navigate challenges as they go through life. Their Royal Highnesses believe that strengthening our ability to recognise and manage our emotions is essential to boosting our resilience and building the positive relationships we all need to thrive as individuals and as a society.

Their Royal Highnesses and The Royal Foundation are committed to helping find the solutions that will enable young people to better look after their own and each other’s wellbeing. Work is currently underway on the next phase of The Prince and Princess’ efforts on this vital issue.

“I believe that every young person has the right to positive emotional wellbeing and so an event like this is so important to encourage that” – Ellie (18)

Follow @TheMixUK on social over the next two weeks to get access to information, support, quizzes and more.

You can also help to provide essential support to millions of young people across the UK by donating to The Mix today.