A new hoodie has been unveiled as part of High Life Highland’s Leadership Programme — to recognise young people supporting mental health charities.
The scheme — which was first started at Nairn Academy in 2004 and now operates across all of Highland — aims to equip young people with practical leadership, life skills, and confidence, with participants awarded coloured hoodies in recognition of their volunteering efforts.
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Now, young people taking part in the Leadership Programme will be awarded the yellow hoodie when they hit the 150 hours volunteering target and on completion of a volunteering or fundraising activity for a mental health charity of their choice.
The new addition is a collaboration between High Life Highland, Mikeysline and supported by Nairn County FC — with funding from the Scottish Government’s Family Wellbeing Fund via The Highland Council, enabling the introduction of the initiative, as well as Nairn Bee’s Intergenerational Choir.
Steve Walsh, chief executive of High Life Highland said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Mikeysline to introduce our latest Leadership Programme hoodie and are grateful to Nairn County for hosting this special launch.
“At High Life Highland our core aim is to Make Life Better for people. Raising awareness about mental health and working in partnership to support mental health charities is something that our Young Leaders are passionate about and we appreciate the funding support from the Family Wellbeing Fund, which has enabled us to introduce a new target and therefore a new and very poignant hoodie.”
The young people receiving the first yellow hoodies at the weekend were Rosie Walker, Maisie Walker, Finlay Whittingham, Lachlan Main, Adam Mitchell, Rosie Stewart and Ruby Mackenzie.
Allana Stables, Bee The Change manager with Mikeysline, said: “Our Bee The Change Campaign is all about connecting with the community in a creative way, breaking down barriers, challenging stigma and changing the dialogue around mental health. We are super grateful to the family wellbeing fund for their support enabling this to happen.
“To have this collaboration with the Highlife Highland Leadership Programme and launching this hoodie in partnership with Nairn County is the perfect example of this. A real person-centred approach, within the local community right through the generations. We are excited to see how this organically grows and looking forward to young people across Nairn and the Highlands volunteering for Mikeysline and ‘Bee-ing’ the Change.”
Kevin Reid, chairman Nairn County FC commented: “We are proud to be supporting the High Life Highland Leadership programme and their partnership with Mikeysline. We are all too well aware how important initiatives and partnerships like this are. It was great to see the first yellow hoodies being awarded to these young stars.”
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