Feeling Strong are championing third sector and community integration in Dundee.

Feeling Strong are providing much needed mental health services for young people in Dundee.

Accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) remains slow and complicated for many people but Dundee based, youth led mental health charity, Feeling Strong, are focusing on early intervention and are aiming to reach the young people before they come to crisis point. They want to ease pressure on the NHS and provide the support that is desperately needed and they have a clear ambition; to improve the lives of young people living with mental health and wellbeing challenges. Their Chief Executive Officer, Beth Davidson, is also adamant that they will be led by the people using their services. “Everything we do is led by the young people, it is all about the issues that affect them now and is very specific to their needs. We build our projects based on the needs of the young people in Dundee, this is why it works so well, because it is what they want, not what people think they want.” It is also run by young people, something that Beth herself says can be overwhelming sometimes, “I am very young to be sitting with the title I have but we are a young team and I think that is our biggest strength and something the young people we work with really respond to.” Beth is extremely proud of the team she works with and the work they do and she also has a lot of admiration for the Dundee community and how they come together to help and support each other. They have around 25 volunteers from the local community, including students from both Dundee and Abertay universities.

They provide a range of services including Art and Games Hub Nights, a Crisis café and a brand new ‘Skill Up’ Hub Night, showing young people how to write CVs, guiding them around educational and social transitions and how to interact with language online. They have integrated their work into the school environment by running Mental Health Champion workshops in secondary schools. This is a six week programme, teaching young people about self care, how to talk about what they are feeling and going through, how to help their peers and where to sign post them to further help.

This integrated way of working goes beyond the volunteers and people in the community, Beth also talks about the benefits of third sector organisations working together. As with many areas of Scotland, funding for projects can be difficult to secure but by working together they are able to provide more services for the local area. Beth believes that working collectively is much more successful than going it alone. They are championing third sector integration to overcome barriers and challenges of the current health and social care landscape.

Their next project is based in Newfield Medical Centre in one of the most deprived areas of Dundee. It is too far for most people to travel into the centre to access their other services, so this project will reach those often excluded. It is more like a community centre than a GP surgery and Feeling Strong will have someone based in the centre three days a week, running support groups and mental health workshops. They will also be available for young people to come and speak to them if they are struggling and need a bit of support. This is another example of Feeling Strong providing much-needed services in the community and proof that they really are listening and acting on the feedback they are given.

Going forward, Beth wants to continue the work they are doing, keep working with the community and providing services that young people need and want. She would love to grow the team and get secure funding that would allow them to work full time. “We do an awful lot in the time that we have but growth comes at a slower pace and results take longer and this is a struggle.” Beth and her team are doing it as it should be done, “the lesson I would share with other organisations is to listen to the people around you and take it on board.” The third sector is often required to adapt to what is needed from communities across Scotland, and with a fraction of the funding they require. The team behind Feeling Strong are another example of an organisation pushing themselves to the limit to provide invaluable services to the young people in Dundee.

You can read all Connected Communities case studies here: https://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/blog/case_studies/?projects=connected-communities