After 18 months of hard work the students of the Sutton Coldfield Youth Council this week launched Sutton’s first ever student health guide free for all Sutton Coldfield secondary schools and the college. The booklet includes sections on mental health, physical fitness, relationship advice, sexual health and much more and edited and designed by students, assisted by experts and charities and the Teen Health Guide. It aims to help support students during their time in studies and in their transition through greater independence and address topics that young people may be facing in their day to day lives.
The Sutton Coldfield Youth Council was founded by Alex Yip and a handful students almost two years ago to give opportunities to Sutton students to involve themselves in the local community, champion causes they believe in and to give them a voice. Their latest project the student heath guide was launched in front of Sutton Coldfield Town Council Councillors including Sutton Mayor Cllr David Allan whose funding, alongside that of the Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust made the resource a reality, as from the support from the many charities, schools and organisations that contributed to the guide.
Anna Jackson, Assistant Principal at Sutton Coldfield College, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the launch of this important guide on student health. The guide is an invaluable resource for students as it helps them to understand the importance of not only general health and wellbeing but also good mental health. It also gives them the tools to build positive coping strategies which is so important in order to allow them to thrive.
“One of our students, who is a member of the Sutton Coldfield Youth Council, has been involved with this project and it is great to see the culmination of all of the hard work that has gone into producing this excellent guide to good health.” Connor, the Sutton Coldfield Youth Council representative from Sutton BMet college said “I've always been keen to help the community, so when the opportunity came along to create this resource which would help hundreds of kids across Sutton, it would be silly to have said no.”
Rhiannon, the SCYC representative from Sutton Girls added “The booklet is an amazing opportunity to share important information so students can become more informed. I've thoroughly enjoyed working on it with the rest of the Youth Council and I hope it is as helpful to others as I think it will be.”
The Chair of the SCYC Jamie from Fairfax led the presentation and much of the project behind the scenes “Both the SCYC students and its executive members have sacrificed hours of their time for this booklet over some 18 months, and I am so glad and proud of what we have created and that it has finally been released so it can inform and guide the youth of Sutton Coldfield.”
Marshall from the SCYC committee of 2017-2018 was present for the launch and added “I'm really proud of the work done by the SCYC in getting this booklet released, which I'm sure will help many students.”
The SCYC are hoping to attract corporate funding which will enable them to offer this across all schools across the West Midlands.
