stem4 students’ conference held at Riddlesdown Collegiate

stem4 held their final student mental health conference for 2019 at Riddlesdown Collegiate. There have been 7 very successful Student Conferences held by stem4 in 2019 reaching 665 students.  This latest event catered for 100 students, providing them with information about how good mental health can be achieved, as well as challenging any preconceived ideas they may have had on the topic.

The teenagers attending from 5 schools including Riddlesdown Collegiate and Woodcote High School were encouraged to learn that mental health existed on a spectrum and that there were steps they could take to promote their own and other’s positive mental health as well as learning about early signs of mental distress and mental ill health. 

The conference equipped the students with valuable information about depression, self-harm, anxiety, eating disorders and stress. These informative talks were delivered by Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist CEO and Founder of stem4.

Interactive sessions based on busting myths surrounding mental health were also run by stem4 Education Coordinator Sarah Sterne, complemented by two inspiring personal talks given by stem4 ambassadors Shad Ahmad and Rosie Day, giving lived experience examples to the theoretical knowledge they had been taught.

‘I’m grateful to stem4 for allowing me to speak. It was a wonderful experience. The young people were really engaged, they asked a lot of interesting questions and I believe my personal experiences may have helped them a lot. I got to speak about my experience with depression, self-harming and when I attempted to take my life… Taking part in this Conference was a wonderful, fulfilling and reviving experience.’ – Shad Ahmad

With their new-found expertise, the teenagers were given an activity that equipped them with an assembly plan to go back to their schools with – so that they could spread the word of working towards good mental health for all  their cohort.

stem4 is a Wimbledon based, award winning charity that supports teenage mental health. In order to foster positive teenage mental health, it provides evidence-based education, builds resilience, enhances motivation to change, and signposts to ensure early intervention and action.  stem4 focuses on commonly occurring mental health issues in teenagers including eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-harm and addiction.

stem4’s work is primarily provided digitally through their innovative education programme, pioneering mental health apps and clinically-informed website. They also host mental health conferences that contribute to helping young people and those around them flourish. stem4 targets and supports families, schools, health professionals and communities as well as the teenagers themselves.