Author : Molly Mayfield

We are really excited to be working with Theo Moye who is a professional photographer with a passion for young peoples mental health.

Theo is working with all of our groups to create an expressive image that represents each individuals journey. Theo, together with our wellbeing workers and the young people are aiming to create something that shows that persons story.

We will then host a reveal of these images (with consent) with our young people and their families in our group sessions, then they will be displayed in libraries and exhibitions across Exeter and East Devon, ahead of mental health awareness week.

We are really excited to have Theo working with us on this and can’t wait to showcase the final pieces.

Watch this space……

Here is Theo’s own image to give you an idea of what to expect.

We are recruiting 2 volunteers who are interested in working with young people and supporting the staff at two of our locations; in Seaton and Axminster.

The new volunteers will assist at Headlight’s fortnightly peer support sessions, supporting young people aged 11-18 with mental and emotional health issues. Volunteers may also be involved in the delivery of annual activity days (Discovery Days).

What volunteers are expected to do:

• help with running activities and will be encouraged to run their own once they are confident;
• helping with cooking and/or preparing food;
• offering a listening ear to a young person or who needs to talk;
• clearing, tidying and making cups of tea;
• offering support as may be necessary to service users;
• offering support to other volunteers and to staff; and
• mostly we ask that you get involved with activities and have fun!

A voluntary position will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and all volunteers are expected to complete training and induction as part of their role.

We welcome and encourage applications from all people of all backgrounds including young people, people with disabilities and/or additional needs, and ethnic minorities. Please read more about the opportunity and apply.

The Trustees received fantastic news in November, an early Christmas present, and a very generous donation from the Garfield Weston Foundation. They made a significant donation to core funds, which means that the charity can use the donation to run the charity and to pay for the boring necessities that are needed in order to keep an organisation going, such as rent, bills, management costs and insurance.

We are so grateful to Garfield Weston Foundation. Thank you!

Action East Devon celebrated Christmas together at the Hare & Hounds pub last week, enjoying a proper Christmas meal in their festive jumpers.

Staff, volunteers and trustees came together to eat and be merry.

We wish all the young people who we work with and their families a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We have received a very special donation from the Woodward Charitable Trust who have promised £1,200 towards core costs which are the essential funds we need to keep our charity ticking.

We are so grateful, thank you!

Last week we welcomed Gemma from Parent & Teen Conversations to speak to our Peer Support Groups in Axminster & Seaton, these groups came together for a special joint event.

Gemma delivered a workshop to our young people that encouraged and enabled them to look within themselves at their core beliefs and how these impact the way that they react and respond to situations. This was a really powerful exercise and it had a big impact on out young people.

Gemma’s clear and concise delivery as well as her personable approach really put our young people at ease and enabled them to be able to take something from it.

Thank you Gemma. We hope to welcome you back again in the future.

Jenny and Ange who head up our Headlight Group in Ottery St Mary have been busy these last few months. We always ensure that our groups get to experience a day away together called the Discovery Day and this year some members from the junior and senior groups went to visit the Donkey Sanctuary just outside Sidmouth for our Discovery Day this year.

They spent the morning learning all about the donkeys in their Centre and then got up close with a group of 20 donkeys where we had lots of time to stroke them and get to know them. Some of our members were “Donkey Whisperers” and constantly surrounded by donkeys.

We then created some activities for them where we made food chains by tying together their favorite snacks like apples, carrots and parsnips and hung them up in their stable.

We finished our morning off with some lunch. The donkeys had a really warm and calming nature to them and everyone left the sanctuary very relaxed.

Our groups then chose 2 donkeys through the sanctuaries adoption scheme and we have chosen to adopt Drizzle and Jimmy for the next year.

Special thanks to The Donkey Sanctuary Sidmouth

It’s OCD awareness week
OCD Awareness was launched by the International OCD Foundation. It aims to break the stigma around Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
If you have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), you have obsessive thoughts and compulsive rituals and behaviours.
Some facts about OCD.
✨️OCD affects 1 in 50 people in the UK.
✨️A mix of different factors can cause OCD.
✨️The usual treatment options for OCD are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and medication.
✨️If you have OCD you may find that it affects areas of your life like work or relationships.
For more information about OCD Awareness Week, please visit the OCD Action website.