Name Youth Mental Health First Aid
Provider Mental Health First Aid England
Young people today face unprecedented mental health challenges, from academic pressures and social media to economic uncertainty. Recognising this, Mental Health First Aid England developed a training programme shaped by young voices. Our redeveloped Youth Mental Health First Aid course highlights the power of meaningful youth participation.
Designed for those working with, living with, or supporting young people aged eight to 18, our course equips participants with the skills to recognise signs of distress, initiate supportive conversations, and signpost to help.
Developed with input from young people, Youth Mental Health First Aiders and Youth Instructor Members, the course ensures that mental health support is accessible, relevant, and reflective of real experiences.
To centre young people in the process, we partnered with the British Youth Council to recruit a diverse co-design team (aged 12 to 18). These young people worked alongside mental health professionals, teachers, and safeguarding experts to shape the course content and delivery.
Rather than being consulted at the start or end, their voices were embedded throughout. Structured workshops, feedback sessions, and discussions ensured their insights influenced decision-making, making the training more authentic and relatable.
Louise Lyons-Appiah, a consultant with the British Youth Council, played a crucial role in supporting us to recruit and support the co-design group. She says: “What sets this training apart is how centred it is in lived experience and its up-to-date relevance with what young people are going through.”
The co-design group actively contributed by:
- Shaping course content – ensuring language, topics, and case studies resonated with young people's experiences
- Designing learning resources – helping create films, scenarios and case studies for engagement
- Piloting the course – observing and providing feedback on accessibility and effectiveness.
Their contributions went beyond consultation – they had direct influence over the course structure, messaging, and materials, giving them ownership of the project. Several of the young people in the co-design group felt able to share their own personal experiences of poor mental health, which directly influenced how they wrote and shaped the content of the course.
Participation in the project equipped young people with valuable skills for their education, careers, and personal development.
The redevelopment of our Youth MHFA course demonstrates that when young people are actively involved in shaping services, the impact is transformative. This project has enhanced our training and empowered participants with skills and confidence to advocate for mental health awareness.
By ensuring young voices are central to our work, we move towards mental health support that is not just for young people but by young people.
- Susanna Mohammed is head of development for Mental Health First Aid England
My View
Emily Staples
Being part of the MHFA England co-design group has helped me to understand how important youth mental health is, not just for the young person themselves, but for their wider community.
I spent a lot of time in meetings with other young people and Mental Health First Aiders, planning material to go in the course. It was incredibly insightful to hear everyone's views, and it helped to create a well-rounded course.
Although at times it was disheartening to hear statistics surrounding young people's mental health, I feel positive that it's being recognised as a growing issue and that so many people want to help.
