THE Dursley Youth Volunteering Scheme was launched in April to support young people in Cam and Dursley with their mental health in the ongoing pandemic.

Overseen by Dursley Tabernacle Church, it has the underlying premise that “fresh air, doing something good and meeting new people all help ease some of the struggles of everyday life”.

Youth worker Vix Thomas said: “It doesn’t fix everything, but it can go a long way to improving how you feel.

"During the third lockdown at the start of this year, adults in Cam and Dursley recognised a need to support young people in our community following the pandemic, with their mental health.

"From the ages of 11 upwards there has been a sharp rise over the last 18 months of young people suffering from suicidal thoughts, depression and increased anxiety.

"The mental health charity Mind conducted a survey of 16,000 people during the initial lockdown and found that two out of three young people and three out of five adults said their mental health got worse. Understandable really.

"Armed with this evidence a small group of parents, led by Heidi Horn, thought they needed to do something about it.

"After some consultation in April the Dursley Youth Volunteering Scheme was launched, overseen by Dursley Tabernacle Church."

The way it works is that young people become volunteers and with the help and support of adult mentors, they complete short projects that last approximately six weeks.

“In our first project we partnered with the Chantry Centre community gardens, doing some gardening, weeding, building bug hotels and painting garden planters," Vix added.

“The results have been incredible and the creativity on show is fantastic. The produce from the garden will hopefully be used for cooking and selling at local events.

“We are just about to undertake our next project with Cam Parish Council, freshening up the changing rooms at Jubilee Playing Fields with another cohort of young people.”

She added: “There’s been a real buzz about young people’s mental health recently and thankfully people are recognising even more needs to be done to support them.

“The scheme is an amazing project, about building relationships, having positive adult role models, engaging with the community and feeling good about ourselves.

For details, to donate or to sign up as a volunteer, email youth.worker@dursleytab.org.uk