When it comes to mental health struggles, youth workers are often the first to respond. However, very little is understood about the experience of youth workers when supporting young people in this way.
We at Live For Tomorrow (Zeal) wanted to learn more about this. So in September of 2019, we surveyed a large number of youth-facing organisations. We wanted to learn what we look like as a workforce, and what our needs may be for future support and resources. This was particularly focussed on supporting the mental health of workers and young people alike.
We partnered with 48 different organisations in New Zealand and received 772 responses over a two week period. We feel that this represents a significant proportion of adults who work with young people and so provides reliable insights.
After hours of number-crunching and graph-building, we’re proud to present the National Report of the Youth Mental Health Supporters survey.
Stand-out insights
- 65% talk at least once a week with young people about their mental health.
- 1,839 conversations are had by the survey respondents with young people about their mental health each week.
- Most conversations about mental health last less than 30 minutes, emphasising the need for good conversation-level skills in this area.
- Youth workers are 13% more confident responding to the mental health needs of young people than they are adequately trained and equipped to do so.
Want the full report? Get it below.
After having 772 people complete the survey, we thought “Imagine if we could put all that experience in one room?” Well, that’s what we’ve done!
We’ve made an awesome private Facebook group for anyone who supports young people struggling with their mental health. It’s called Youth Mental Health Supporters — 300 have joined already. The group mantra is “Care for others. Look after yourself.” We’d love to have you!
Click below to join.
