Transition Age Mental Health & Physical Activity Project
Active Essex Foundation are excited to announce that we have been funded by Essex County Council Public Health Team to deliver a Transition Age Mental Health & Physical Activity Project over a 3-year period. Physical activity, movement and sport can play a crucial role to support young people’s emotional wellbeing as they transition into adulthood, especially for those who are care transitioning from children and adolescent to adult mental health services.
Project Overview
There is a clear area of need for both poor mental health and wellbeing, and physical inactivity of young people (17-25 years), who are going through a potentially destabilising time as they transition into early adulthood. This can have a considerable impact on individuals being able to live life to their full potential, and in addition to spiralling poor mental health, it can have a negative impact on employability, physical health and the ability to make positive life choices.
This project aims to work closely with locally trusted community-based organisations across the 12 Essex County Council districts who are supporting young adults’ emotional wellbeing, including physical activity interventions, across Essex. The project will help build on this approach to ensure the mental health needs of young people are being met, whilst taking a person-centred and joined-up approach to community support. Further training and upskilling of these organisations, to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of those young people facing this transition period, would be provided as a key part of this project.
There will be a focus on young people who are already supported through our Sport and Youth Mental Health Project, where there is clearly an identifiable need to continue to support these individuals when they turn 18 years old, as well as targeting other vulnerable groups such as care leavers and those under children and adolescent mental health services who are having to transition to adult mental services.
Our long-term aim is to reduce inequalities and help young people thrive in Essex through ensuring equitable access to local community-based support for their mental health, using physical activity alongside other support, and improve co-ordination of this support with the wider health system for 17–25-year-olds, through this key life transition.
Project Launch Webinar
We held a webinar to launch this project on Monday 2nd December. If you are a voluntary or community-based organisation, using or keen to start using physical activity, movement and/or sport to support young adults (17-25 years) with low levels of emotional wellbeing in your local area, please watch the recording to find out more about the project, including funding opportunities to partner with us and be involved in the delivery across the 12 Essex County Council districts. You can access the recording of the webinar and additional resources below.
Transition Age Mental Health and Physical Activity Delivery Funding
Delivered by: Active Essex Foundation
Available funding: £10,000
Apply by: 31st January 2025
We are looking to partner with community-based organisations, across the 12 Essex County Council districts, who are using/want to use physical activity, movement and/or sport, to specifically help support young people, aged 17-25 years, with low levels of emotional wellbeing to support them through this age transition period.
Grants are available to support the delivery of this project and will be proportionally allocated to the following districts: Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castlepoint, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring and Uttlesford.
You can find details regarding the funding criteria and application form, including guidance notes, below.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
