Be Kind To My Mind (#bekindtomymind)
Challenge
Young people in Bolton identified a need to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health and emotional wellbeing. Many felt unsure where to find support and worried about speaking openly about their experiences.
Working with Bolton's Healthy Minds Youth Project, NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group wanted to create a campaign that would genuinely resonate with young people while increasing awareness of local support services and encouraging earlier conversations about mental health.
The challenge was to develop a campaign that felt authentic, youth-led and engaging, while achieving borough-wide reach across schools, communities and partner organisations.
ApproachWorking closely with commissioners, youth representatives and partner organisations, I led the development and delivery of the Be Kind To My Mind campaign from concept through to implementation.
My role included:
• Facilitating workshops and campaign development sessions with young people to ensure the campaign was shaped by their experiences and perspectives.
• Developing the campaign identity, messaging framework and creative direction.
• Leading stakeholder engagement and partnership working across health, education and local authority partners.
• Delivering a fully integrated multi-channel campaign spanning outdoor advertising, digital media, radio, video and print.
• Overseeing the launch of a dedicated campaign website, including content management access for delivery partners.
• Developing branded campaign materials, promotional resources and engagement assets.
• Project managing school mental wellbeing champion toolkits and activation packs to support local delivery and peer-led engagement.
• A key focus throughout was ensuring the campaign remained youth-led, giving young people ownership of both the message and the way it was delivered.
Outcome
Be Kind To My Mind has grown into Bolton's recognised anti-stigma campaign for children's and young people's mental health, creating a lasting platform for awareness, engagement and signposting to support services.
The campaign established a strong and sustainable identity that continues to be used across schools, partner organisations and community settings. It evolved beyond a single campaign into an ongoing mental health and wellbeing resource for young people, parents, carers and professionals across the borough.
The campaign's impact was recognised during King Charles III's visit to Bolton Town Hall in 2023, where it was showcased for its contribution to young people's mental wellbeing and early intervention.
Co-production at its best. Youth-led, community-rooted and built to last.