Youth Mental Health First Aid Champion Training
AXA and BITC partner to support youth mental health
AXA and Business in the Community are partnering to deliver fully funded Youth Mental Health First Aid Champion training. We know that the number of young people struggling with their mental health and wellbeing is higher now than ever before, with the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Cost of Living crisis having only exacerbated many of the triggers including poverty and inequality. This is why our partnership with AXA’s Head Coaches programme is so important.
What is the AXA Head Coaches Programme?
AXA’s Head Coaches programme aims to support youth leaders working with small community-based voluntary sector organisations, with approx.50 employees or under to develop a greater knowledge of common mental health issues. This Youth Mental Health First Aid Champion course will be delivered over either two half-day sessions online, or one day face-to-face by an AXA Health expert. (For information on course formats currently available, please see the form below).
This is a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England course, provided for FREE to voluntary sector organisations, funded through our partnership with AXA. Typically, the course would cost approximately £135 per person. This MHFAE course is applicable for individuals in Scotland and Wales too.
The course will give you a wide range of skills that you can use with the young people you work with, including:
- Developing an understanding of common mental health issues and how they affect young people
- Learning to spot signs of mental ill-health in young people and guide them to a place of support
- Gaining the knowledge and confidence to advocate for mental health awareness
- Learning the skills to support positive wellbeing
How the course is structured
This training will be conducted online through presentations, group discussions and interactive activities.
- Each online course includes two half-day (2hr 45mins) sessions via Zoom, or one whole-day session in-person (where available).
- Both sessions must be attended to complete the course where the cohort is delivered online.
- Sessions are not recorded
- For courses delivered online, pre-work is required to be completed before each session (approx. 1hr 30mins per session).
What do I get from the training?
- A certificate of attendance to confirm you have completed the Youth Mental Health First Aid Champion course
- A Youth Mental Health First Aid Champion manual and workbook to refer to whenever you need it
Testimonials from recent participants:
“I have worked with young people with multiple and complex needs for a number of years, and this training gave me lots of info and strategies that I had not heard of or thought about”. Phil Pearce, Life Experience CIC
“This course has enabled me to feel I have the knowledge and understanding to one day change the impact of mental health in a young person’s life”. Hannah Bees, ACE Cardiff
“The course online and printed material were first-rate, and the exposition by the Trainer was very illuminating. Other folk on the course were very helpful in their honesty and directness. Best online of this type, of course, attended in two years”. Francis Drake, Action for Station Town
When are the sessions taking place?
Please check the registration form below for upcoming dates of both online and in-person funded training opportunities. If there are no dates available, please still express your interest in attending future sessions by completing the form. If additional funded cohorts become available, we will contact you.
Eligibility
A maximum of two people per organisation can register their interest for this funded training. We are unable to deliver this for whole teams, for example. Please DO NOT sign up on behalf of someone else.
Participants MUST be:
- An employee/volunteer of a small, voluntary sector organisation (a not-for-profit ie, charity or otherwise registered) with approximately 50 employees or under, and mental health NOT being the primary focus of your services.
- Had minimal or no Youth Mental Health training recently.
- Working directly with young people (8-18 years) on the ground on a regular basis, ideally with at least 20% being from low-income backgrounds, across Wales, Scotland or England.
- Committed to the course and
a. able to join both online sessions on at least one of the cohorts listed.
b. able to complete the online pre-course independent learning for online training OR able to attend the whole day in-person session (where applicable.)
We will assess eligibility and offer spaces on a case-by-case basis.
Places are limited, so please only sign up if you are committed to completing this course and meet all the essential criteria above.
Contact the Skills Exchange team with any questions.
Register your interest in the Youth Mental Health First Aid Champion Training
Please express your interest in attending future sessions by completing the form below. If additional funded cohorts become available, we will contact you.
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