I hope that everyone is having a great start to the week. We are back with another newsletter after a short break in October following a very successful and enjoyable AMPLIFY event (more details below!)

In this issue, we’ve got lots of exciting research and involvement opportunities to share with you. We’ve also included links to sign up for the remaining AMPLIFY sessions we have planned this year! Our next session will be on Thursday 28th November so do sign up if you are available!

Also, read on for details of a free workshop that Laura is offering to the group. At this stage, we are just getting an idea of interest, so complete the polls if you would like to attend!

Have a great week, and I look forward to seeing you in our next session!

Warm wishes,
Abi 😊

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Upcoming Sessions

2. AMPLIFY Celebratory Event

3. Workshop Opportunity - Understanding Constructs in Mental Health

4. Monthly Round-up of Opportunities

   1. Compass Project - Toynbee Hall

   2. Understanding Loneliness in Young People

   3. The Good Measure Research Project

5. AMPLIFY Journal Club

6. Suggestion Box

Upcoming Sessions

🗓️ Thursday 28th November (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm): Research Session - Irene Gonzalez Calvo
In this research session, we will be joined again by Irene to discuss her research on childhood trauma and hypomania. We will be discussing the results of this study so far and what these findings might mean for young people. More details to follow closer to the time, but do follow the link below to register your spot today!

Register Today

🗓️ Thursday 12th December (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm): Research Session - Dr Laura Havers
In this research session, we will be visited again by Laura to discuss a research proposal she is developing. More information to come next month, but if you’d like to reserve a spot you can follow the link below to sign-up.

As this is our last session of the year, there will also be additional time to catch up and celebrate together at the end.

Register Today

AMPLIFY Celebratory Event 🎈🎉

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us on the 4th of October for our AMPLIFY event!

It was a great afternoon, with lovely food, posters and talks about all things youth involvement in mental health research. A special thank you to our organising committee, who helped shape the event and make it such a success, and to our speakers who shared their experiences of being involved in mental health research and who spoke about why youth voice is so important.

We hope to share pictures from the event very soon and look forward to celebrating in the community again in the future.

Workshop Opportunity - Understanding Constructs in Mental Health

Dr Laura Havers is offering a FREE workshop to anyone from AMPLIFY who wants to learn more about mental health and the key constructs that make up research. Details below:

Title: An Introduction to Thinking About Constructs and Measurement in Psychology

Abstract: In psychology, we are fundamentally interested in understanding human behaviour (actions) and mental processes (thinking). To understand these things, we need to be able to measure them in some way. There are a range of ways that behaviour and thinking are measured in psychology. In this workshop, we will focus on quantitative measurement (i.e. using numbers to understand what people do and say). We will talk about constructs (things), how we can measure those constructs and the importance of measuring what we think we’re measuring. This workshop will provide an introduction to thinking about constructs and measurement in psychology and, importantly - why these things are so fundamental to psychology as a field of study.

Please complete the poll questions below, so we have an idea of numbers:

If you answered “yes” to the above poll, please indicate your availability below:

One more question!

⭐️ Monthly Round-up of Opportunities ⭐️

See below for this month’s monthly round-up of research and involvement opportunities.

Compass Project - Toynbee Hall

Check out this brilliant opportunity to connect with the community in a series of well-being sessions in Tower Hamlets. Sessions include:

• Games and activities

• Food sharing

• Emotional Wellbeing Workshops

Follow the link below to find out more and sign up today!

Sign up

Understanding Loneliness in Young People

Earn £20 for taking part in this study. The deadline to apply is the 8th of December 2024

We are looking to interview young people (aged 18-24 years) to discuss their experiences of loneliness. The interview will last between 60 to 90 minutes and will be conducted either in person at Queen Mary University, if convenient, or online via Zoom. We are eager to hear from people with a range of different life and loneliness experiences. You will receive a £20 voucher for your time.

What: Register your interest via a brief survey and if eligible you will be invited to take part in an interview (between 60 to 90 minutes).

Where: The interview will be conducted either in person at Queen Mary University of London, if convenient and you live in Greater London (within M25), or online via Zoom.

Eligibility: You must be aged 18-24 and have experienced loneliness.

How: Follow the link below to register your interest and we will be in touch with you soon with upcoming interview times.

Sign up Today

The Good Measure Research Project

The Good Measure project is looking for people aged 14-19 to take part in an online survey.

Current surveys on adolescent mental health often skip over questions on sex and sexuality, even though these topics matter to young people. Help researchers to ask questions that are relevant and meaningful to young people. 

Take part in our anonymous 10-minute survey and enter a prize draw with the chance to win £50! No experience is needed. 

What is the Good Measure project about? 

The Good Measure project is a UKRI funded research study that aims to advance understanding of the links between adolescent sexuality development and mental health and wellbeing. Sexuality development in adolescence is normal and healthy but can also involve difficult and harmful experiences, thoughts and feelings including shame and stigma. Despite sex and sexuality being a key element of many young people’s lives, there is very little research addressing links between young people's sexual lives and their mental health. Many adolescent health surveys include just one or two questions on sex - usually age at first sex - or none at all. The Good Measure project aims to change this by developing a brand-new set of survey questions to measure young people’s ‘sexual wellbeing’. 

Survey questions on sexual wellbeing 

Using data from workshops and interviews with young people, and building on our previous work in the Natsal study, we have developed and tested a new series of survey questions on young people's thoughts and feelings about sex. The next stage is testing these survey questions with a diverse range of young people aged 14-19 from across the UK to make sure they are relevant and meaningful.  

You can find more information about the Good Measure project at www.glasgow.ac.uk/goodmeasure. If you have any further questions or would like to see a full copy of the survey questions, please get in touch with us at goodmeasure@glasgow.ac.uk.

Access Survey Here

AMPLIFY Journal Club

Welcome to this month’s AMPLIFY Journal Club! Each month, we will share a different article showcasing the latest research into youth mental health.

Some articles have been published in scientific journals, and some are shared on online websites like theconversation.com, but all come from other mental health researchers working in the field.

As well as sharing the article, we will also include a summary of the key points that are addressed (so you don’t have to read the whole thing if you don’t want to!)

This month: “Alexithymia: why some people find it so hard to identify emotions, and how this affects them”

This article from theconverstation.com explores alexithymia - a phenomenon where people struggle to identify, distinguish, and express emotions, affecting their emotional regulation and interactions with the world.

Summary

• This article outlines what alexithymia is, and how it manifests

• Alexithymia affects around 10% of the general population. It is closely related to interoception, the ability to interpret and label internal states.

• Some people have always had alexithymia whereas others acquire it through trauma

• One characteristic of alexithymia is an externally oriented thinking style. This is where people focus on what’s happening around them rather than their own emotional processes for information

• Alexithymia affects how a person experiences and interprets emotions, from noticing physical sensations in the body to identifying them as specific feelings and deciding how to respond

• The article concludes by highlighting that emotional awareness can be developed and improved over time with strategies such as practising naming emotions and physical sensations.

What do you think? Did you learn anything new from reading this article? Follow the link below to read the article in full:

Read the Full Article

Suggestion box

Please feel free to make suggestions about what you’d like to see included in these Newsletters! Please do give feedback about whether or not this newsletter is helpful to receive by completing the poll below.

If you have any other thoughts or suggestions for AMPLIFY, you can submit an anonymous comment to our suggestion box:

Suggestion Box

Archive of Newsletters

I hope that everyone had a lovely weekend, and is looking forward to the week ahead. I know that this is a busy time for lots of us - many of you have started back at college, sixth form, and some of you have just started University! Wishing you the best of luck for the next academic year.

In this issue, we’ve included a summary of our upcoming research sessions for the rest of 2024. Our next session will be on Wednesday 25th September so do sign up if you are available!

Also included in this month’s issue are details on how to register for our celebratory AMPLIFY event, and a round-up of current research opportunities. This month’s journal club is also an interesting debate about the current narratives surrounding youth mental health - do have a read!

Have a great week, and I look forward to seeing you in our next session!

Warm wishes,
Abi 😊

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Upcoming Sessions

2. AMPLIFY Celebratory Event - sign up today!

3. Monthly Round-up of Opportunities

   1. The Care Responders Research project: evaluating a crisis mental health service for children and young people

4. AMPLIFY Journal Club

5. Suggestion Box

Upcoming Sessions

🗓️ Wednesday 25th September (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm): Research Session - Abi Thomson
In this research session, we will be discussing Abi’s research on emotion regulation. Join us as we develop a brief workshop for students in secondary schools to teach them about emotion regulation and how it can affect their mental health. In this session, we will think about what young people might want to learn about it in a one-hour workshop, and how to best share this information in an engaging and and informative way.

Register Now

🗓️ Wednesday 23rd October (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm): Research Session
The researcher for this session is still to be confirmed. We will keep you updated and let you know once you can sign up. For now, save the date!

🗓️ Wednesday 20th November (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm): Research Session
The researcher for this session is still to be confirmed. We will keep you updated and let you know once you can sign up. For now, save the date!

🗓️ AMPLIFY Christmas Celebration (5:30 pm - 7:30 pm)
In this session, we will come together for the last time in 2024! We will be discussing research, but there will be additional time to catch up and celebrate the year together at the end. For now, save the date!

⭐️ AMPLIFY Celebratory Event - sign up today! ⭐️

As I’m sure many of you already know, we are currently in the process of planning our upcoming AMPLIFY celebratory event. 

This event is scheduled for the 4^th of October (drop by any time from 4 pm – 7 pm) at Brady Arts & Community Centre (Hanbury Street London E1 5HU). This will be a free event for young people, families, researchers and those working in the community. We want this event to be a celebration of our work and a chance to showcase the importance and impact of including young people’s voices in mental health research.

We’d love to see you there! You can find out more about the activities, and sign up to join this event here: 

Register for our Celebratory Event

Please do invite friends and family along too, if they are free and would like to join!

❕ Request for Speakers - please help! ❕

We are urgently looking for young people and community organisations who can attend the event and speak about the importance of youth voice.

We invite you to talk about your experience or get creative - write a poem or play music - I’m open to hearing any suggestions! I can pay £75 for all those who get involved as a speaker.

Please email Abi (amplify@qmul.ac.uk) if you would like to speak, or if you know of any community organisations or youth workers who might like to get involved. Thank you!

Email Abi

⭐️ Monthly Round-up of Opportunities ⭐️

See below for this month’s monthly round-up of research opportunities. There is just one opportunity available this month, but things will pick up now that Universities are back after Summer!

The Care Responders Research project: evaluating a crisis mental health service for children and young people

Payment is £25 per meeting! The deadline to apply is this Friday 20th September 2024 at 9am.

When a young person is experiencing a mental health crisis and a 999 emergency call is made, the police typically attend on their own. However, the police don’t have specialised mental health training, knowledge or skills. Therefore, the Pennine Care Trust research team are trying to find out whether a joint response (a mental health practitioner and police visiting together) may help young people to feel supported and avoid hospital admission.

What is this opportunity?

The research team are looking for 2 more people to join our group to reach our target of 8 public advisors. If more people are interested, we can take on one additional person. However, because recruitment can be unpredictable and there’s always a chance that someone might need to drop out, the team will have a waiting list. They will keep in touch with everyone on the waiting list regularly, so don’t be discouraged if they tell you that you can’t join right now! The team are also quite flexible—if you need to drop out but think you can come back later, they’ll put you back on the waiting list and contact you with more opportunities, including the current one the team are discussing here.

What you’ll do:

• Reviewing Documents: You’ll look at study documents like information sheets, consent forms, and questionnaires. Your feedback will help the team understand how people interpret the research findings.

• Co-Developing Research Outputs: You’ll work with the team to create meaningful research outputs that reflect the needs and interests of young people.

• Meetings: You’ll attend meetings twice a year, either in person or online, to discuss the study’s progress and share your thoughts and experiences.

• Representing Young People: You’ll represent the views and concerns of young people, making sure the study addresses the issues that matter most to you.

• Creating Public Materials: You’ll help develop and review materials to share the study’s findings with the public in a way that’s easy to understand and engaging.

How to get involved?

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email pcn-tr.care-responders@nhs.net with brief answers to the following questions:

1. What is your name?

2. What is your date of birth?

3. Would you like to join in person or online? (We are based in Manchester)

4. Are you interested in mental health services for young people?

Find out More

AMPLIFY Journal Club

Welcome to this month’s AMPLIFY Journal Club! Each month, we will share a different article showcasing the latest research into youth mental health.

Some articles have been published in scientific journals, and some are shared on online websites like theconversation.com, but all come from other mental health researchers working in the field.

As well as sharing the article, we will also include a short summary of the key points that are addressed (so you don’t have to read the whole thing if you don’t want to!)

This month: “Bad therapy or cruel world? How the youth mental health crisis has been sucked into the culture wars”

This article from theconverstation.com explores the causes of the youth mental health crisis and examines the different narratives surrounding it.

Summary

• This article explores two narratives surrounding the decline in youth mental health

• The first is the "cruel world" narrative, where systemic adversity is the primary cause (i.e. climate emergency, unaffordable housing, precarious employment, rising inequality)

• The second is the "cultural trend" narrative, where cultural shifts and therapeutic culture contribute to vulnerability and mental illness. This narrative suggests a culture preoccupied with harm creates vulnerability and leads people to view life problems through a psychiatric lens (e.g. people view normal stress as a psychiatric problem rather than a normal part of life).

• From the “cruel world” perspective, the ultimate causes of the mental health crisis are the basic structures of our society, economy and ecology. Only systemic, macro-level changes can arrest them.

• For proponents of the “cultural trend” narrative, the focus of intervention is more micro. We should challenge the social practices and technologies that create vulnerability and undermine mental health.

• The article explores different kinds of therapy and solutions to support young people with their mental health. It argues that the current therapeutic culture needs a huge change.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with this article? What narrative do you think is the most true? Follow the link below to read the article in full:

Read the Full Article

Suggestion box

Please feel free to make suggestions about what you’d like to see included in these Newsletters! Please do give feedback about whether or not this newsletter is helpful to receive by completing the poll below.

If you have any other thoughts or suggestions for AMPLIFY, you can submit an anonymous comment to our suggestion box:

Suggestion Box

Archive of Newsletters

As things are a little quieter over the Summer, I thought it best to send out a newsletter covering the Summer period. Our usual monthly newsletters will continue in September.

In this issue, you can find details about how you can get involved in our upcoming AMPLIFY celebratory event! We’re looking for volunteers to join us as part of the organising comittee, so if this sounds of interest, please get in touch. We’re also urgently looking for speakers to join us, so read on to find about more about this, and to see if you can help. This month’s journal club is also a very interesting article on the mind-body connection (from a magazine) so do check that out!

Have a great week, and I look forward to seeing you after the Summer break!

Warm wishes,
Abi 😊

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Upcoming Sessions

2. Researcher Feedback: July

3. AMPLIFY Celebratory Event - we need you!

4. Monthly Round-up of Opportunities

   1. The Influence of (social media) Influencers - Young People's Workshop

   2. Space4All Youth Club

5. AMPLIFY Journal Club

6. Suggestion Box

Upcoming Sessions

We are in the process of planning our sessions following the Summer break in August, So far, we have a couple of sessions planned, but we are interested in hearing from you too - what research are you most interested in being a part of?

Are there any other topics not listed here that are of interest to you? If so, please feel free to email Abi and let her know.

🗓️ Save the Date! Wednesday 25th September (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm): Research Session (topic TBC)
Out first session back in September is scheduled for the 25th. Please save the date for now, and we will send more details about this session over email very soon, once we’ve seen the results of the poll.

Researcher Feedback: July

Last month, we were joined by Dr Georgina Hosang to explore her project on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The aims of this research were to discuss the next steps in her work on how to measure ACEs (e.g. bullying, abuse, neglect).

Please see the feedback from Georgina below:

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the AMPLIFY group for listening to the details of and providing feedback for our project to create a new questionnaire that asks about negative events that affect young people. It was really useful to learn about the groups perspective on travel times and how to encourage people to take part in the follow-up stages of the project. The comments will directly inform the locations we will select and the ways we will engage participants (offering training opportunities). The next step of the project is to submit the application to the Economic Social Research Council for funding. We will be sure to share the outcome of this application.”

If you have any questions about this research or have any further comments to share please get in touch with Abi over email.

⭐️ AMPLIFY Celebratory Event - we need you! ⭐️

We are so pleased to share an update on this event, and some more information about how you can get involved! Due to some delays with the funding, we are now hosting the event on Friday 4th October (3 pm - 7 pm). You can register for this event now online, by following the link below:

Register for our Celebratory Event

This will be a free event for young people, families, researchers and those working in the community. We want this event to be a celebration of our work and a chance to showcase the importance and impact of including young people’s voices in mental health research.

💡 Get Involved - join the comittee 💡

We want to put together a small committee to help us organise the event! Ideally, we’d like to recruit 4 members to join us. As part of the committee, we would ask you to:

• Attend two 1-hr meetings in September (one in person, one online) to help us put together plans for the event

• Help advertise the event, and recruit young people, and community organisations/youth workers to attend

• Support with the running of the event on the day (set-up, handing out flyers and stickers, organising refreshments, running the mural wall)

• (optional) Join Abi for a brief talk about AMPLIFY, and share your experiences of being involved and why it is important that young people can share their voices

There will of course be payment for those involved, that attend all meetings and support on the day. We expect this to be £50-£100 but Abi is confirming this at the moment.

❕ Request for Speakers - please help! ❕

We are urgently looking for young people and community organisations who can attend the event and speak about the importance of youth voice.

We invite you to talk about your experience or get creative - write a poem or play music - I’m open to hearing any suggestions! I can pay for all those who get involved as a speaker.

Please email Abi (amplify@qmul.ac.uk) if you would like to speak, or if you know of any community organisations or youth workers who might like to get involved. Thank you!

Email Abi

⭐️ Monthly Round-up of Opportunities ⭐️

Things are always quieter in research during the Summer, as most Universities are closed! See below for details of one research opportunity, and a youth club in Walthamstow which is running activities during the Summer.

The Influence of (social media) Influencers - Young People's Workshop

Payment is £80! Deadline to apply is this Friday 16th August 2024 at 9am.

Mental health is regularly a topic explored on social media channels, such as Instagram and Tik Tok, in the form of videos. This project, led by University of Birmingham and supported by The McPin Foundation, explores how the stories told by social media influencers can help or harm young people.

This research is important to help us understand social media influencers and their role in mental health for young people, and we hope that it will lead to guidance and recommendations for both parties.

To do this, we are analysing the videos from influencers on social media accounts to understand the type of content that they post. More about the project here

What is this opportunity?

We are looking for 8 young people to attend an in person workshop on Saturday 14^th September in London.

We will watch videos from social media influencers from TikTok who talk about mental health and discuss how helpful (or unhelpful) you think they are.

The workshop will take place in person at The McPin Foundation office in London on Saturday 14 September, 12.30-4pm, McPin Foundation Offices, 244-254 Cambridge Heath Rd, Cambridge Heath, London E2 9DA

Some of activities will include…

• Preparation before the workshop of watching 10-15 TikTok videos shared in advance via a Padlet (approximately 1 hour)

• In a group, working together to rank the videos in terms of their accuracy and ability to help young people

• Putting together a list of ideas about how influencers should share information about mental health that maximises benefits and minimises risks to young people

Payment

• Payment is £80 for attending and contributing in the full workshop

• Your travel will be booked by the McPin Foundation, or all reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed

• A lunch of up to £15 (receipts will be required) and refreshments provided at the venue

Get Involved

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email George on Georgeclarke@mcpin.org with brief answers to the following questions:

1. What is your name?

2. What is your gender?

3. What is your date of birth?

4. Which station would you be travelling from?

5. Why are you interested in this specific opportunity?

6. Please give details of any relevant experience (i.e mental health issues and accessing social media platforms)

7. Sometimes after talking about topics like mental health, people feel they need a little extra support or someone to chat to. What support do you currently have in place (e.g. supportive friends, family, health professionals or mental health charities)? Is there anything that [insert name of organisation here] could do to support you or make your involvement experience better?

8. How did you hear about this opportunity?

You are welcome to send your responses in audio or video format if preferred! If you need any help completing your expression of interest, you can get in touch with contact@mcpin.org.

Apply

Space4all Youth Club

No deadline

A group from YMCA Walthamstow, delivered on Wednesdays between 6-8pm, for ages 11 - 19 years old. They deliver various activities such as creative arts, games, jewellery making, workshops, advice and guidance.

All sessions are free! To find out more or get involved email youthteam@ymcaspg.org

Get Involved

AMPLIFY Journal Club

Welcome to this month’s AMPLIFY Journal Club! Each month, we will share a different article showcasing the latest research into youth mental health.

Some articles have been published in scientific journals, and some are shared on online websites like theconversation.com, but all come from other mental health researchers working in the field.

As well as sharing the article, we will also include a short summary of the key points that are addressed (so you don’t have to read the whole thing if you don’t want to!)

This month: “The brain’s reading of the body’s state is key to mental health”

This is not an academic paper this time, but a magazine article from a researcher at Cambridge University. Let me know if you prefer this format for journal club!

Summary

• Your brain's main job is to help you understand how your body feels so you can survive and take care of yourself.

• The brain's interpretation of bodily signals, known as interoception, is crucial for mental health. Interoception helps us sense our physical state and is essential for survival.

• Research shows that people with mental health conditions have differences in brain activity during interoception.

• The insula, a region in the brain involved in sensing the body's state, pain, and emotion processing, is affected in mental health disorders.

• Targeting the insula through interventions like mindfulness and interoception training may help alleviate mental health symptoms.

Key Findings

• It’s increasingly apparent that interoception is essential for more than just survival. It’s the very filter through which we feel mentally and physically well, or unwell.

• The brain basis of interoception can help explain the interconnectedness of physical and mental health – why, when you feel worse mentally, your physical pain might worsen; and why inflammation in your body can make you depressed.

• Furthermore, differences between people in their neural interoceptive processes could help to explain why we all experience our bodily states differently, which in some cases could drive worse mental health.

• These insights are shining a new light on existing treatments, and helping to inspire cutting-edge ways to improve interoception, raising the hope that we might be able to improve the treatment of mental health for some of the people who need it most.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with these findings? Do you think interoception is important? Follow the link below to read the article in full:

Read the Full Article

Suggestion box

Please feel free to make suggestions about what you’d like to see included in these Newsletters! Please do give feedback about whether or not this newsletter is helpful to receive by completing the poll below.

If you have any other thoughts or suggestions for AMPLIFY, you can submit an anonymous comment to our suggestion box:

Suggestion Box

Archive of Newsletters

I hope you’re all doing well and have been enjoying the lovely weather this week! It was so lovely to see some of you at our Co-RISE event this month - thank you for coming to share your views. If you didn’t get the chance to join us for this research event, you can read more about it in this month’s newsletter.

In this issue, we’ll also share an overview of our upcoming sessions and a great selection of opportunities that are available this month across a range of different research projects. We’re also delighted to be able to share some more details about our AMPLIFY celebratory event! Read on for more…

Have a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Warm wishes,
Abi 😊

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Upcoming Sessions

2. Researcher Feedback: June

3. Co-RISE Study Update: Roundtable Event

4. Monthly Round-up of Opportunities

   1. Ending youth suicide with Campaign Against Living Miserably

   2. The Perceived impact on the Mental Health of Young Women from their Experiences of Sexting

   3. MET TALKS - 100 Youth, One Voice

5. AMPLIFY Celebratory Event

6. AMPLIFY Journal Club

7. Suggestion Box

Upcoming Sessions

We have just one more session planned before our Summer break in August, and I’ve released 2 more spaces for those who would like to join us! Details to sign up are below:

🗓️ Wednesday 17th July (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm): RESCHEDULED Research session - Georgina Hosang
Dr Georgina Hosang has had to take some time off work due to a family emergency. As a result, we will be rescheduling this session and meeting in July. This session will be focused on Georgina’s work on how to measure childhood adverse experiences (e.g. bullying, abuse) and their impact on youth mental health.

Sign up Today

☀️ Summer Break (August) ☀️
We will be taking a short break in August and won’t be running any research sessions this month. But don’t worry, there will be lots of other things planned for that time, including training, talks and planning for a very exciting AMPLIFY event (more information below!).

We will be back to normal from September!

Researcher Feedback: June

Earlier this week, we were joined by Dr Tessa Roberts to explore her project on social epidemiology. The aims of this research are to test and evaluate a youth-led partnership model to collect epidemiological data over a long period of time within schools.

Please see the feedback from Tessa below:

“I really enjoyed meeting the group and was impressed by how much everyone engaged with the proposal. The suggestions that the AMPLIFY members offered were extremely helpful in thinking about how to pitch the idea to students and schools, how to ensure its relevance to students, how to recruit participants, and how to conduct the project feasibly within the school system. The group's local knowledge and understanding of student priorities and school structures would clearly be extremely valuable if we get the funding to put the proposal into practice.

In terms of the next steps, I am currently waiting to hear the outcome of the funding application that we recently submitted to the Medical Research Council, and I will update those who have expressed an interest in the study when I receive any news. If we are awarded the funding, then the comments from the group will be used to inform how we set the project up (e.g. how we get partner schools on board, the timing of sessions, how we engage with students within the schools) and I will invite those AMPLIFY members who were interested in getting involved in the study to participate in the coproduction workshops, to shape the development of the participatory methods in the first year of the programme. In the event that we are not awarded the funding (which is more likely!), then we will look for alternative funding opportunities, and when we find a suitable call, I will incorporate the group’s feedback when rewriting the proposal for submission to other funders. In this case, I will invite AMPLIFY members who are interested in being involved in the project to join the research team as youth co-applicants, who will have a role in shaping the proposal.”

If you are interested in getting involved in Tessa’s research or finding out more, please contact Tessa via email (tessa.roberts@qmul.ac.uk)

Co-RISE Study Update: Roundtable Event

As many of you know, we have been running a research project alongside AMPLIFY called Co-RISE (A Co-Designed Guide to Youth Involvement in Mental Health Research with Underserved Communities).

This project aims to develop tools so that the voices and experiences of all young people are placed at the centre of mental health research. We have collaborated with researchers and young people aged 16-25 living in London to develop these tools.

The Roundtable Event

On Monday, the 10th of June, 40 of us (young people, researchers, and youth workers) - including many of our AMPLIFY members - came together to discuss the importance of youth involvement and the ways we can ensure that everyone’s voices and experiences are heard in mental health research. Over the course of the afternoon, we shared findings from the Co-RISE study so far and reflected on the barriers and facilitators of youth involvement in research. We also worked together to co-develop the final resources (e.g. infographic, animation) we will produce as part of this project, with the aim of supporting the involvement of underrepresented young people in mental health research.

During the session, we had a visual artist capture the discussion - check out the final product below to see the key points we discussed:

Our next steps now are to create the resources we co-developed. We will share those with you once they are complete (end of July).

⭐️ Monthly Round-up of Opportunities ⭐️

Ending youth suicide with Campaign Against Living Miserably

Deadline 1st July (5pm)

Suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is currently building its next campaign to mobilise society and demand change from the government. The campaign will aim to create a safer society for young people by giving trusted adults the tools to support young people and by adding conversation about suicide prevention to schools.

What is this opportunity?

CALM would like to invite up to 6 people aged between 16-21 to take part in a group discussion around support for young people experiencing suicidal thoughts or in suicidal crisis. The discussion will cover topics such as current available support through schools/ shared spaces and ideas on how young people can be better supported by society and structures like schools. The session will be 1.5 hours and hosted in London or on Zoom depending on participant location.

Participants will receive a £25 voucher as compensation for their time. Participants travelling within London can claim travel, participants outside London will be asked to join a virtual group.

If you are interested in taking part, please fill out the form linked below:

Fill out the Form

The Perceived impact on the Mental Health of Young Women from their Experiences of Sexting

Deadline 31st July

Sexting and sharing nudes are becoming more common among young people. We don’t really know how different sexting behaviours might affect young women’s mental health. These behaviours include consensual sexting, pressured sexting, being sent unwanted nude pictures.

We are interested in finding out what type of support may be helpful for girls and young women whose mental health may be affected by sexting.

What is this opportunity?

You will be invited to take part in an online focus group through Zoom, so we can hear about your views on sexting and mental health. The online focus group will include other young women between 16-19 years old.  The focus group will last for an hour and a half.

Before the online focus group, we will ask for your background information, such as age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, past mental health difficulties, school/college if you are in school, through an online survey website called Qualtrics.

We are looking for young people who fit the following criteria

1. You identify as a woman or girl

2. You are aged between 16 to 19

3. You live in the United Kingdom

We will offer everyone who takes part an Amazon voucher (£25 for 1 hour or £40 for 1.5 hours) to thank you for being involved in the project.

How can I get involved?

If you are interested in this project, please fill in our registration form through the below link by 31^st July 2024:

Link to the Form

If you have any questions about our study or want to chat about our study, please get in touch with Dr Gloria Cheung at gloria.cheung2@nhs.net

MET TALKS - 100 Youth One Voice

MET TALKS - 100 Youth One Voice is an exciting event happening in person at Urban MBA!

Join us on the 3rd of August for a day filled with engaging discussions , free food , free professional photoshoots , certificates , workshops , and networking opportunities with activists, lawyers and policymakers. This event is all about bringing together 100 young individuals aged 12-25 to share their unique perspectives and create a powerful collective voice.

Get access to exclusive internships , mentoring , and work experience placements

Don't miss out on this chance to directly impact an issue that affects young people and connect with like-minded peers and make your voice heard.

To find out more about the event, and to get your free ticket follow the link below:

Sign up Today

Do you know of any other opportunities that might be of interest to AMPLIFY? Please get in touch with Abi so these can be shared in the next Newsletter

Get in Touch

⭐️ AMPLIFY Celebratory Event ⭐️

As many of you know, we are looking forward to hosting an event this Summer to celebrate all our work together on AMPLIFY so far. I’m so pleased to be able to finally share some more details about this event!

At the moment, we are hoping to hold this event toward the end of Summer, on Friday 6th September (save the date!). This will be a free event for young people, families, researchers and those working in the community. We want this event to be a celebration of our work and a chance to showcase the importance and impact of including young people’s voices in mental health research.

Event Activities

We have lots planned over the course of the event:

• AMPLIFY photovoice exhibition to showcase our experiences sharing our voice to shape research

• Photovoice exhibition led by Madi Stephens (PhD Researcher), showcasing the impact of the East London environment on young people’s mental health

• Talks by young people in AMPLIFY (you!) about your experiences of being involved (see below for more info, or to get involved)

• Talks by those working in the community on the impact of youth voice

• Poster exhibition showcasing research happening in East London to support young people with their mental health

• Mural wall for all visitors to share their thoughts on why youth voice is important. People will have the option to write their thoughts and draw images.

And more…

We will also provide small refreshments on the day and provide flyers and other AMPLIFY merchandise for those who want to find out more or get involved.

Getting Involved

I’d really love it if you could join me in sharing your experiences of being involved and why you feel it’s important that young people share their voices and shape mental health research.

You could talk about your experience or get creative - write a poem or play music - I’m open to hearing any suggestions! I can pay £25 for all those who get involved as a speaker.

If you are interested in taking part in the event, please email me and explain how you might want to contribute, and we can chat further about how you can get involved.

Email Abi

AMPLIFY Journal Club

Welcome to this month’s AMPLIFY Journal Club! Each month, we will share a different article showcasing the latest research into youth mental health.

Some articles have been published in scientific journals, and some are shared on online websites like theconversation.com, but all come from other mental health researchers working in the field.

As well as sharing the article, we will also include a short summary of the key points that are addressed (so you don’t have to read the whole thing if you don’t want to!)

This month: “Seeing is believing: The effect of subtle communication in social media on viewers' beliefs about depression and anxiety symptom trajectories”

Summary

• The study aimed to analyse the influence of social media communications on the beliefs and behaviours of young people seeking help for their mental health.

• They explored the impact of social media language on mental health beliefs through an experiment involving participants viewing different kinds of tweets.

• Some tweets were written from a growth mindset perspective (your qualities can be changed), and some were written from a fixed mindset perspective (your qualities are fixed).

• They assessed participants' immediate reactions to the tweets and the impact on their mental health and help-seeking behaviour.

Key Findings

• Viewing social media content from a growth mindset perspective led to more optimistic beliefs about the malleability of depression and anxiety symptoms and the effectiveness of treatments.

• Participants in the growth mindset condition reported higher mental health self-efficacy compared to those in the fixed mindset condition.

• This study highlights the potential of social media content to shape individuals' beliefs about mental health, suggesting that promoting growth mindset messages could be beneficial for mental health interventions.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with their findings? Follow the link below to read the article in full:

Read the Full Article

Suggestion box

Please feel free to make suggestions about what you’d like to see included in these Newsletters! Please do give feedback about whether or not this newsletter is helpful to receive by completing the poll below.

If you have any other thoughts or suggestions for AMPLIFY, you can submit an anonymous comment to our suggestion box:

Suggestion Box

Archive of Newsletters

Mental health research is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ young people to ensure that the interventions and treatments designed are acceptable, engaging and effective. However, at the moment, not all young people are given the opportunity to shape mental health research, meaning the mental health services available to them are not always youth-focused or effective. Some of the most vulnerable young people who would most benefit from effective support (e.g. ethnic minorities and those with multiple or severe mental health problems) are rarely included in the research process. All young people have the right to have their say in their own mental health care and research, and this project aims to make this happen.

This project aims to co-develop tools to ensure that the voices and experiences of young people, especially underrepresented young people, are placed at the centre of mental health research. Increased representation of diverse young people within mental health research is essential to reduce inequalities and ensure research benefits all.

This study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Key Concepts

• Youth Involvement in Research: Research carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ young people rather than ‘to’ ‘for’ or ‘about’ them.

• Underrepresented Groups: Young people belong to different communities and have different backgrounds. Certain backgrounds are currently underrepresented in mental health research (e.g. ethnic minority groups, those who have been in care, and those with lived experience of severe mental illness)

• Co-Develop: Different groups of people, including experts by experience, create something together

We are collaborating with researchers, community organisations and young people aged 16-25 living in London to develop these resources.

Find out more

This project aims to develop tools so that the voices and experiences of all young people are placed at the centre of mental health research. We have collaborated with researchers and young people aged 16-25 living in London to develop these tools.

The Roundtable Event

On Monday, the 10th of June, 40 of us (young people, researchers, and youth workers) - including many of our AMPLIFY members - came together to discuss the importance of youth involvement and the ways we can ensure that everyone’s voices and experiences are heard in mental health research. Over the course of the afternoon, we shared findings from the Co-RISE study so far and reflected on the barriers and facilitators of youth involvement in research. We also worked together to co-develop the final resources (e.g. infographic, animation) we will produce as part of this project, with the aim of supporting the involvement of underrepresented young people in mental health research.

During the session, we had a visual artist capture the discussion - check out the final product below to see the key points we discussed:

Our next steps now are to create the resources we co-developed. We will share those with you once they are complete (end of July). Thank you to all of our AMPLIFY members who took part, and to all the Co-RISE study participants!

And a huge welcome to all of our new members who joined over the last month! We’re really looking forward to meeting you at a future AMPLIFY session.

I hope everyone has been well and managed to enjoy some sunshine before the British weather set in again this week 🌦️ I know lots of us are in the process of…

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Happy Friday, everybody! Apologies that this Newsletter is coming to you a little later than usual. As many of you know already, I’ve been off sick for the past few weeks.

I’m on the mend now, and I appreciate your patience and understanding while I recover. I have lots of exciting updates to share with you a…

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Happy Friday, everybody (and happy International Women’s Day!)

We’ve had a great few weeks here at AMPLIFY. I’ve enjoyed seeing so many of you at our sessions and listening to all of your fantastic contributions to the different research projects ongoing at Queen Mary, University of London.

In this month’s ne…

Read more

I’ll be sending out this monthly update to all AMPLIFY members on the second Friday of every month. Each newsletter will contain an overview of upcoming sessions and a monthly round-up of paid mental health related opportunities (e.g. training, research involvement, events) which may be of interest. This i…

Read more

Meetings are held monthly and focus on a different research project of interest to the group. Young people involved are paid £25 per session and have the chance to learn about youth mental health and share their ideas with researchers who are actively looking to listen to young people’s voices during the different stages of their research.

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