My Mind & Me: How young people inspired a BBC Radio mental health campaign

In October last year we invited a group of young people in to the BBC and spent three hours quizzing them. What did they think were the most important issues facing young people today? What did they want to change? If they were given control of BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and BBC Asian Network what would they say, and how would they engage others in their cause?

Overwhelmingly, what they wanted to talk about was mental health. The pressure and stress they experienced during exam time, how they felt about their body image, and how social media could undermine their confidence and self-esteem.

They shared stories of how their friends and family, and they themselves, had been affected by anxiety, depression and other mental health problems and how hard it had been to talk about this, or seek help. They wanted to address the stigma around mental ill-health, and have a more open and honest dialogue.

This was the start of a new youth-led approach to social action on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network. We wanted to build on last year’s 1MillionHours campaign, which championed young people as a ‘force for good’ in society and encouraged our audience to pledge their time in the service of others. We partnered with four charities, promoted the benefits of volunteering, and achieved our target - plus 100,000 - by the end of the year.

We saw how passionate young people are about changing society for the better and we wanted to harness that energy and give young people a platform to do just that. The approach was simple: young people would set the agenda, steer our thinking, and contribute creatively to the campaigns. 

Two months after this initial session we launched My Mind & Me - a year-long commitment on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network, to shine a spotlight on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. And we had a core group of 15 young people who would join us on that journey.

So how did we find our steering group? We needed young people who understood the power of social action. We had collaborated with NCS (National Citizen Service) during our 1MillionHours campaign and we decided to create a formal partnership with them this time round.

NCS is the country's flagship youth programme for 15 to 17 year olds, supporting them to create social change in their own communities. By partnering with them we have been able to tap into their networks and expertise in social action whilst giving their young leaders a platform and a voice.

So far NCS graduates have shared their experiences on the Radio 1 Surgery, given peer to peer advice on how to cope with the pressure and stress of exams, and have also started work on shaping on-air campaign spikes in July and November.

This core group of young people will be joined by others who have very personal stories, sourced through mental health charities throughout the UK. This adds to the groundswell of people who are willing to share their experiences in order to help others and get people talking about what’s going on inside their heads.

Exam stress

Two months in and the campaign is building momentum. We have filled Radio 1’s Live Lounge with puppies and kittens this week to encourage our listeners to find ways of de-stressing. And Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network came together this week for a simulcast Surgery about dealing with the pressure of exams.

We have more Surgeries and 1Xtra talks planned where we will explore the impact of mental health problems and we are currently in the process of commissioning audio documentaries for Radio 1 and 1Xtra, as well as visual pieces for the Radio 1 iPlayer channel. There’ll also be some bespoke commissions for our social channels.

Young people are at the heart of it all, informing the conversation every step of the way.

We had no idea when we invited 30 young people into that room in October last year that this is the direction our social action activity in 2017 would take. But out of that session has emerged one of our most exciting campaigns to date, which has fired up staff and presenters alike.

We now have a path mapped out, but with much of the content still to take shape, we’re really looking forward to further conversations with our steering group and seeing where they will take us.

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