THE DOOR LAUNCHES ‘100K IN MAY’ TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEED
Surge in mental health crisis – One in five children and adolescents now suffer from a mental health disorder
Stroud Based charity The Door is excited to be running its annual fundraising challenge again this spring. They are urging residents to walk, jog, run, cycle, or wheel their way to 100Km during the month of May to help change a life.
One in five children and adolescents are now suffering from a mental health disorder – this reflects a dramatic rise from one in nine in 2017 and the very real youth mental health crisis within the UK today. The pandemic and social pressures have driven this surge and prevalence remains at historically high levels. Youth suicide rates are rising alarmingly and recently hit a 30 year high – death by suicide amongst 15 to 19 year olds jumped by 35% in one year 2020-2021 (NHS England, November 2023).
This has led to a record demand for mental health services – nearly one million children were referred for mental health support during 2022-2023, equivalent to 8% of all children in England. However, the system is overwhelmed and only around one third of them receive treatment within one year.
Victoria Robson, CEO of The Door says “These numbers paint a stark picture of unmet need – too many young people are struggling without help and this is affecting all of our communities”.
At The Door, young people seeking support are matched with a volunteer mentor. Someone to listen to them, support them and help them make positive steps forward. Since the service launched almost 20 years ago these partnerships have been transformative.
One young person said “I feel such a weight off my shoulders from talking to someone who will actually listen and see things from my point of view”
Our mentors also get a lot out of their involvement, one said “ I’ve learnt so much from the young person I mentor; the difficulties that she experiences every day and her courage in overcoming them. Most of what I do is to listen and care and yet it seems to make an incredible difference to her life.
UK research has proven that investing in youth mentoring empowers young people to thrive; improving mental health, keeping them in education and away from crime and at the same time, strengthening our communities (Gloucestershire mentoring program survey, July 20 24, Centre for evidence and implementation, October 2024, Youth endowment fund, October 2022).
“Every one of our mentors continues to change lives for the better, but we have now had to close all applications for young people and mentors due to a lack of funding”, continues Victoria Robson. “This is why we are appealing for residents to join our ‘100K in May‘ challenge, in order to raise funds to support another mentor and change another life in 2025”.
To take part residents can simply sign up for free at thedoor.org.uk/100kinmay and can set their own fundraising targets. For example, raising £100 (£1 for every km) could pay to support a mentoring relationship six months, £250 could train a new volunteer mentor or £1000 could enable The Door to support 10 mentees.
Every one of The Door’s successes proves that with the right support young people can overcome challenges and build brighter futures for themselves and our communities.
You can also register to take part in 100KinMay by visiting The Door’s charity shop at the top of Stroud High Street.