MindWise - Bloom: For Young People's Mental Health

Bloom is a UK-wide programme which supports young people’s mental health resilience, delivered in schools and colleges across Northern Ireland by MindWise. MindWise deliver Bloom in Northern Ireland on behalf of Mental Health UK.

Supporting young people

We know there is a growing need for support for young people, with most long-term mental health problems beginning in adolescence: 75% of mental illnesses start before a person’s 18th birthday.

Evidence shows that providing good, early preventative support in the right place at the right time can help to avoid deterioration in young people’s mental health, and equip them for the challenges of everyday life.

That’s why we created Bloom – the largest UK-wide programme for 14-18 year olds which focuses on supporting young people’s mental health resilience.

The Programme

We gathered insight from young people and teachers across the UK to build a programme which young people have told us they want and need. Bloom equips young people with the tools and knowledge to maintain their mental health through life’s transitions – such as moving through school, changing friendship groups, moving to university or starting employment.

Delivered through scenario-based discussion and relatable topics, such as ‘social pressures’ and ‘exam stress’, Bloom will leave young people with a better understanding of mental health in themselves and others. They will also possess a suite of tools they can deploy in ways which are right for their own mental health both now and in the future.

A core part of our programme also works with teachers to build the foundational knowledge to do what they do best: securing the best outcomes for their students. Over an 8-week period, Bloom Associate Trainers work alongside teachers to support and train them in the course content and the application of our easy-to-use teaching resources.

With designated trained teachers continuing the future delivery of the programme, Bloom will affect the lives of more young people and leave behind a legacy within a school for years to come.

Topics covered include: 

• Resilience
• Exam pressure
• Friendships (bullying, conflict)
• Social pressures
• Decisions about the future
• Managing stress
• Work-life balance

Additional information, including how to sign up, may be found here.