“Sitting in the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Centre with my brother one day, I noticed how many charities there are to support people with cancer: red blood cell cancer, white blood cell cancer, lymphatic cancer… The list went on and on and I thought how few charities there are for young people with mental illness. Years ago we couldn’t even talk about cancer (‘the C word’) and now we have hundreds of charities raising awareness and money to help people with this condition. Then I visited Maggie’s in the ground of the Freeman Road Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. What a fantastic place, a tranquil beautiful space for patients with cancer and relatives to receive support, join in an activity, receive counselling or just sit and watch the world go by.
As a practising psychiatrist I thought we have to start addressing the complex needs of young people with mental illness in a similar way.”
Dr Mary Jane Tacchi, Chair and Founder of uS
EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH ACTIVITY
About uS
Through sports and other physical activities, we empower young people who are experiencing or are at risk of developing mental health issues.
Mental illness is very common
- 1 in 10 children suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder- that is about 3 children in every class!
- 1 in 4 adults have a common mental illness and more than half were diagnosed in childhood.
- This is a big problem and additionally mental illness is often stigmatised and misunderstood. This leads to further unnecessary suffering. Judgements are made about mental illness in a way they are not about physical illness- “pull yourself together”.
We have to change this!
So we have launched a new charity called uS.
Our aim
Our aim is to provide support and opportunities for young people with, or at risk of developing mental illness, to help them identify and achieve personal goals. For some these may be small but very significant.
Participating in a group activity could be a huge step for someone with autism or social anxiety, whilst others may wish to undertake a sporting challenge to build their strength both physically and emotionally whilst making new friends; the possibilities are huge.
We want to empower young people to overcome obstacles early and prevent problems in the future. We want to provide opportunities for young people that they will not get elsewhere. We want to reduce stigma so that people can access help and not be ashamed or treated badly as a result of being ill.
What we do
In the first instance (we are new and we are small -but hopefully not for long) we are engaging young people aged 12 to 25 in sporting and physical activities. We know that exercise is good for you as it:
- Helps socialisation
- Improves mental and physical health
- Can counter the side-effects of treatment, such as weight gain
- Improves self- esteem and confidence
- Is something that many people do not have access to
- Can be fun!
Initially we will be delivering purely on an outreach basis, using the facilities of partner organisations including schools, colleges, universities and leisure centres. In the future, as we develop, we aim to open the first uS Centre where in addition to sports and fitness facilities we will have a training kitchen and healthy eating café, staffed by apprentices.
uS young people
We are an organisation that continuously consults young people about our development and offer. As we grow this will continue and young people will become more and more active in the planning, development and management of uS.
Who we are
The trustees of uS are four like-minded but different professionals
