Not So Alone
Not So Alone: A Youth-Led Mental Health Campaign
As part of Project CREATE, our Young Persons’ Advisory Group (YPAG) is working on a social action campaign to raise awareness about adolescent mental health, with a particular focus on loneliness.
Who are the YPAG?
The group brings together young people aged 11 to 24, offering a mix of cultural, age and gendered perspectives. They value open and honest conversation, and their ideas shape the way we approach adolescent mental health in creative and meaningful ways.
What we learned
In the early stages of CREATE, the YPAG made it clear that they wanted to do more than support with the research around adolescent mental health—it should also help them reflect on their own mental health and explore practical ways to support themselves and others.
These workshops (Listening Lab) would be even better if the sessions and activities were more linked to mental health, e.g., the effects different music has on mental health or how we could improve our mental health with certain music.
— YPAG participant, June Living Lab 2023
If we talked more about our own opinions on mental health and music.
— YPAG participant, June Living Lab 2023
The Not So Alone Campaign
From these conversations came Not So Alone—a campaign created to remind young people that they’re not alone in what they’re going through.
The campaign is active on Instagram, where members share stories, artwork, and signposting to mental health resources. It’s a space for creativity and connection, designed by young people for young people.
The YPAG also hosts the Not So Alone Podcast on Spotify, where they talk openly about what’s happening in their lives and how they manage their mental health.
Please join in the conversation by liking and following on both Instagram and Spotify. You can also check out their Spotify episodes under the Resource tab at the top.