Funding boost for key mental health programme
The delivery of a proactive mental health programme working with young people across Aberdeen City and Shire, has received a vital boost with the support of a US Based funder.
Aberdeen FC Community Trust’s (AFCCT) MINDSET programme – which promotes positive adolescent mental health – has received a funding boost of £10,000 from the Ellen and Ian Graham Foundation to further develop the reach of the project.
Worryingly, every day in Scotland, 20 young people are unable to access the support they need, and only a quarter know where to turn for help with their mental health. And with research conducted by the Scottish Association for Mental health (SAMH) concluding that that by age 16, roughly three pupils in every classroom will have experienced a mental health difficulty, the need for a positive programme of intervention such as MINDSET is all the more vital.
AFCCT Chief Executive Peter Davidson said “We’re extremely grateful to the Ellen and Ian Graham Foundation for their support of MINDSET. This funding allows us to build on a programme that is already having a significant impact in schools across the region, while also exploring how its benefits can be extended beyond the North-east,”
Developed in partnership with U.S based not-for-profit organisation Grassroot Soccer, MINDSET is a programme that places less emphasis on mental health disorders and more on life skills, promoting positive mental well-being and helping increase young people’s knowledge of empathy and resilience.
Over the course of the 2024/25 Academic Year, almost 800 pupils completed MINDSET across 8 schools within the city and shire. Involving 588 academy pupils and 203 primary pupils, the programme breaks down the stigmas around mental health, ultimately making it easier for young people to speak openly.
As part of the funding, MINDSET Development Officer Murray Collie will be providing training to staff of the Big Hearts Community Trust in Edinburgh in spring as a pilot on how the programme could be rolled out to areas beyond the North east to benefit even more young people.
Alexis Graham of the Ellen and Ian Graham Foundation and Trustee of the Ellen and Ian Graham SCIO said: “The MINDSET program originated in the US, but what Duncan, Peter, and their team have built is truly impressive and has the potential to reach far beyond the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen. Young people across Scotland can move forward with greater confidence, and those experiencing mental health challenges can shift from a narrow focus on “disorder” toward recognizing and building on their strengths. We are particularly hopeful about the collaborations ahead—including with other club foundations—and about the scale and positive impact this program can have for children throughout Scotland.”
