The “Being Me” Project supports children struggling with the negative impacts of social media

Thanks to a grant of £4,464 from the Young Minds First fund, TRELYA have been able to progress well with their “Being Me” emotional wellbeing project.

The aim of the project is to reduce the negative impact of body image on children and young people. Completed through group sessions, one to ones and working with families of primary school-aged children, the project built an understanding of how social media, family values and responses can have such a dangerous impact on a child’s body image ideals, resulting in negative well-being. Through early intervention and intergenerational approaches, TRELYA were able to work with the families and children to reduce those negative thoughts and feelings.

TRELYA recently sent CCF an update on the project:

“Children, young people and families are responding positively to the project, which Young Minds First funded. We have found that 1:1 sessions with some young people work really well as the sessions give space to talk, listen and really explore young people’s beliefs, views, self-worth and priorities. For many complex reasons, a lot of young people we work with tend not to engage with the health services that are available to them, we are working hard to change this. A school nurse has been attending some group sessions as an informal introduction to a critical health professional in a space young people are already comfortable with – this has seen the children develop positive, trusting relationships with other professionals and now some of the children are autonomously engaging in the School Nursing pathway.

For younger children, we have been guiding age-appropriate conversations around safety, internet use and delivering fun activities which explore the sense of self, healthy relationships, and boundaries. We reinforce this work by having an open communication line with parents discussing any identified issues, concerns or challenges their children may be facing, and we then offer support and knowledge to support parents in navigating this with their children.”