Laurens Journey through the KEY+ Challenge!
When Lauren first took part in the KEY+ Challenge, she wanted to help tackle an issue affecting young people in her community: accessing mental health support.
Lauren’s journey started at Bright Futures, where she attended the She Leads mental health and wellbeing group. After completing a 12-week course exploring emotions, development, self-confidence and resilience, Lauren and the other girls wanted to continue meeting and develop their own activities. That’s when they formed Terry’s Cucumber Dinosaur Squad and started their KEY+ journey together!
As the group discussed mental health services, Lauren recognised that one of the challenges young people face is knowing what support is available to them. Through Stage 2 of the KEY+ Challenge, the group planned a mental health fair for young people aged 11-25. They invited local organisations to attend, share information and help raise awareness of the support available. The group also planned promotional flyers, refreshments and a professionally printed directory of local services to help more young people to find the support they need.
Lauren helped identify charities to invite and decide on a date and venue. Lauren said: “Through this, I enjoyed developing my communication skills with the charities and my peers.”
But the process wasn’t without its challenges. Lauren initially worried that charities might be too busy to attend or unable to send a representative. She also found approaching charity representatives at the event to ask if they needed help setting up nerve-wracking: “I found talking to the charities at the event to see if they needed any help setting up quite nerve-wracking.
Seeing the event come together was a proud moment for Lauren: “I enjoyed seeing the hard work we all put in as well as seeing how much it benefitted our community.”
“Seeing all the charities working together and being so welcoming and friendly towards visitors made me feel proud.”
Reflecting on how the KEY+ Challenge has impacted her, Lauren said: “I’ve definitely had a boost in confidence since participating in the KEY+ Challenge and realised that I can make a positive change in my community when before I didn’t think I could make much of a difference.”
For Lauren, this experience has helped her “realise my opinion matters and if I see a problem I can help fix it.” She also said that it has made her think differently about her future, saying: “KEY+ has made me appreciate volunteer work and inspired me where I can to help others as much as possible.”
Her growing confidence has extended beyond the KEY+ Challenge too. Lauren co-hosted this year’s Key Awards alongside Isaac, celebrating the achievements of young people from across the North East. It was another opportunity to step into a leadership role, use her voice and be part of an event recognising what young people can achieve.
When asked what advice she would give to someone taking part in KEY+, Lauren said: “make the most of the opportunity and when you’re struggling ask for help but also make note of what you’ve struggled with so you can reflect on how you how you’ve learned and grown throughout the experience. Remember what you’re doing it for and use that as motivation.”
Lauren’s journey shows how giving young people the opportunity to explore their ideas and take the lead can help them build confidence, develop essential skills and recognise their ability to make a difference. Through KEY+, she has discovered that her voice matters – and that she can play an active role in creating positive change in her community.
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The Key