Find out how we have helped people get involved in the arts.
Taha, our 17 year old Young Ambassador, wrote this poem back when he was 15. Taha has a real talent for using poetry and spoken word to highlight current affairs, and he uses his talent to raise awareness about the issues closest to him, such as mental health in young people.
Taha has been involved with YMM since our first concert back in 2017. We are always amazed by his incredible performances, and are looking forward to welcoming him back to our next concert on 9th October 2021!
The Stratford Music Festival ‘Sounds above Ground’ event was held on 29th August 2020 in Stratford-upon-Avon run by the fantastic Stratford Music Network, run by Clare Thomas, with support from Young Minds Matter. A range of fantastic performers from both organisations took part and the event gave the perfect opportunity to raise both funds and awareness for mental health in young people.
Our first concert in 2017 was the starting point for Young Minds Matter as an organisation, where we raised £37,000 for three local and national mental health charities. We had a number of performers from local schools, and it was a fantastic evening with inspirational speakers, comedic interludes from Dave Chawner, and incredible musicians.
Inspired by the success of the first concert at Warwick Hall, we held a second concert in 2019 which raised over £20,000 and involved 99 local students performing!
Keep an eye out for details of how to get tickets to our next concert on 9th October 2021, where we will be returning to Warwick Hall.
We were very excited and inspired by 9 year old Dexter, who came across our video recorded during lockdown of 11 young people singing ‘You Are Not Alone’ and he decided that he wanted to raise some money for Young Minds Matter! At the beginning of lockdown and all through the summer of 2020 Dexter had suffered a lot with his mental health and anxiety but Dexter had also found a lot of enjoyment and solace from learning to play the guitar. He organised a live jam session on Facebook on Christmas Eve to spread some Christmas cheer and this certainly spurred on a lot more people to contribute to Dexter’s fund raising campaign, helping him to completely smash his target of £100 and reach the amazing sum of £545!
All the Young Minds Matter team are very grateful and proud of what Dexter has achieved. It is well known that music and the arts has a beneficial effect on people’s mental health and Dexter has certainly proved this here! Thanks so much Dexter – you are an absolute star!
The team at Young Minds Matter created this video during lockdown to provide a reminder to you that throughout this time, you are not alone. If you are suffering with any issue, there are places and people that can help. We have compiled a list of some of these services which you can access here: ymm.org.uk/notalone.
Young Minds Matter truly believes that music has the power to transform mental health and lift people’s spirits. We have seen this first hand at our YMM concerts, where young people have the opportunity to listen to, create, and perform music that allows them to express their emotions. We hope that this video helps to bring a smile to your face.
The Stratford Music Festival ‘Sounds above Ground’ event was held on 29th August 2020 in Stratford-upon-Avon as a collaboration between the fantastic Stratford Music Network, run by Clare Thomas, and Young Minds Matter. A range of fantastic performers from both organisations took part and the event gave both organisations the perfect opportunity to raise both funds and awareness for mental health in young people.