At just 16 years old, Amy’s relationship with her mother deteriorated, she felt she had no choice but to leave home and ended up sleeping on the streets. She was preparing to take her GCSEs and had no experience of living independently, so she was scared about what lay ahead. “When me and mum fell…
Mhairi left her family home as a teenager to move in with her then boyfriend. When the relationship broke down, she felt unable to go back to her parents and ended up street homeless before moving into a local hostel. She was referred to YMCA Bournemouth, which provides extensive supported accommodation for young people to…
Mental health stigma is rife- I should know, I’ve spent a year working on a mental health campaign, but never spoke out myself. A year ago today, YMCA and the NHS launched the #IAMWHOLE campaign, to tackle mental health stigma by challenging harmful language and encourage young people to speak out and seek help. You’d…
Sophia’s mental health difficulties started when she was at primary school. When she lost her mum to cancer aged 13 and became a sole carer for her grandmother, things took a turn for the worse. As part of the #IAMWHOLE campaign, Sophia shares her experiences with mental health in her own words, to encourage other…
Gabe first started to experience signs of psychosis when he was five years old. Dealing with hallucinations, he didn’t tell anyone about his difficulties until things reached breaking point when he was a teenager. In support of #IAMWHOLE Gabe shares his experiences with mental health difficulties and how he now uses his experience to help…
Natalie always felt different from a young age, but never knew what made her different. Being diagnosed with Asperger’s, she struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. Now, 21, Natalie volunteers with the Chatterboxes, a YMCA youth action project run by disabled young people in Bournemouth, to help raise awareness of disabilities. She shares her experiences…
Florence’s eating disorder started out slow, just limiting her food intake a little here and there. But as soon as she started controlling her eating, it became a slippery slope quickly developing into a serious eating disorder. As part of #IAMWHOLE, Florence shares her experience to raise awareness of mental health stigma, in her own…
When Mel first arrived at YMCA, she was vulnerable and afraid and had run out of options. After her parents split up when she was 12, Mel found herself relying on the wrong crowd for support, taking recreational drugs, drinking and missing school. By 16, the relationship with her parents had completely broken down and…
Courtney was bullied about her appearance throughout school, which lead her to undergo plastic surgery when she was just 16 years old. Her low body image and the constant bullying at school resulted in her isolating herself and she ended up dropping out of college early, after classmates circulated memes of her online. Courtney is…
When Sophie first arrived at YMCA, she was 18 years old and clearly distressed. Her mental health problems had forced her to leave her family home and, when the council-run accommodation where she was staying was sold, she had nowhere to call home, no stability in her life, and nobody to turn to. Thankfully, Sophie…
