Amber and Sophia
On the November 3rd, we were invited to Portcullis House to discuss our campaign on Making Mental Health Awareness compulsory on the National Curriculum with the Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn.
Sophia, having suffered from Anorexia Nervosa in the past, alongside Amber who had to learn how to deal both with Sophia’s illness and her personal despair at the situation, wanted to hear his opinions on what we can do to change “ the Dark Ages of Mental Health”.
Although we had already spoken with a number of MPs and given speeches both on BBC radio and Channel 4 News in addition to the House of Lords, this meeting was equally valuable in pushing our campaign further. We learnt more on what we can do on the political side of our campaign to promote the cause, such as creating an Early Day Motion in order to raise awareness within parliament on what we are trying to do.
Moreover, during a casual discussion on our University applications, the topic of stress at top universities arose and the number of stress-related mental health problems that often proceed as a consequence. This made us even more determined to promote education on mental health awareness so we can enable young people to become resilient and also prepared for the every-day stresses that will arise during adolescent years. We also discussed how more funding is required in Mental Health Services, as many are not fortunate enough to either be near NHS services or be able to fund the cost of private treatment. The conversation we had was not only thought provoking but gave us plenty of ideas to work on for the future.
If you would like to support our campaign please click on this link and sign our petition!(https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/59244) Or if you would like to know what you can do to get involved, please don’t hesitate to contact us on either of these two email addresses: soppar00@highgateschool.org.uk or ambvan00@highgateschool.org.uk.
Thank you so much to the Centre for Mental Health for this opportunity to meet Mr Corbyn and thank you to the man himself, for inspiring us to continue in our pursuit of good mental health. As Gordon Smith once said: “We take our kids for physical vaccinations, dental exams, eye check-ups. When do we think to take our son or daughter for a mental health check-up?”
Jeremy Corbyn MP
I always enjoy meeting students, and meeting Amber and Sophia from Highgate Wood only confirmed this.
These two very interesting students from Highgate Wood School visited me at the House of Commons as part of Parliament Week. It was a memorable visit and the students also spent some time talking to my assistant about the tools of parliament including EDMs and Parliamentary Questions. It was immediately obvious from the outset that Sophia and Amber are clearly two very impressive individuals with a mission to enlighten us all to the fact that Mental Health can affect any one of us and importantly, that we can, and do recover from it in its many guises. Their ‘Stop It Before It Starts’ campaign was particularly commendable and highlights the importance of providing better support to young people at schools regarding mental health.
Hopefully these young women went away better informed on the workings of parliament than when they arrived. It is also quite significant that their friendship, and Amber’s concern for Sophia when she was suffering very badly with Anorexia Nervosa brought them to a better understanding of mental illness, and indeed the determination to learn more about solutions and treatments and what part the political process plays in such things. There is still so much to do around mental illness, and there is much stigma associated with it, often stemming from ignorance. Eating disorders in particular often bring a lot of shame to the sufferer and it is time this needs to be dispelled before we can begin to progress. We must keep our NHS safe and buoyant, and ensure that this very important area gets the priority it deserves in the process.
