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What it's all about
I would like to give young people who self harm a helping hand by giving them a small distraction box full of cool stuff to prevent them from self harming in Northamptonshire with the possibility to go nationwide.The box will be posted to them so i will need the name and address and sex . But i know how hard it is to say you self harm so it will be posted with complete confidentiality.
With separate stuff in the box for men and women.
What's needed to make it a reality
I need a lot of funding to do this and ideas for what can go in the box.
Comments
Welcome to Junction49. I'm Sarah from the Junction49 helpdesk here to support you in getting your project set up.
I think your idea for creating a box is a really lovely idea, you'll just have to think very carefully about what you put in it. People self-harm for different reasons personal to them and may respond to different coping mechanisms. A good way to start this project would be to ask young people what they think would help and you could do this by posting on the message boards on the ChildLine website. They cover all sorts of topics and young people talk about the issues that affect them. http://www.childline.org.uk/Talk/Boards/Pages/Messageboards.aspx
The website also has pages on self-harm which provides some bits of advice: http://www.childline.org.uk/Explore/DamagingYourself/Pages/SelfHarm.aspx At the bottom of the page it talks about writing a diary about feelings. One idea for your box could be to put in a blank exercise book to encourage people to write down their feelings or express their feelings in other ways through art.
Another website which has lots of useful information is The Site http://thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/mentalhealth/selfharm
I also found a booklet which has been created by young people which is about raising awareness of common mental health issues as well as providing information and advice about looking after your emotional wellbeing. Inside they had an idea about a 'Cheer up' box which they can go to whenever they're feeling low and inside they can put in items which will cheer them up depending on their interests i.e. chocolate, sudoku etc...
http://otrbristol.org.uk/images/uploads/Off_the_Record_Mentality_Booklet.pdf
Based on this idea another idea for your box could be to send out a nearly blank box with things inside like a diary to write in, contact details for ChildLine (so they know they've got someone to call if they're feeling like they want to self-harm) and a message explaining the aim of the box and what they've got to put inside.
There are a few different places that you could apply for funding to:
- O2 Think Big http://www.o2thinkbig.co.uk/
Awards of up to £2500 for your project, given in stages, for projects to improve the community. This is open to 13-25 year olds. In the first round you can apply for £300 and then after you've completed that part of the project you might get invited to apply for £2500.
- Live UnLtd http://www.liveunltd.com/
Live UnLtd will give up to £5,000 of funding and all the support needed to turn a great idea into a reality. Open to 11-21 yr olds.
If you need any help at all with this, just give me a shout.
Creating a website should be fairly easy and you can build one for free at www.wix.com. There have been quite a few Junction49ers in the past who have done this which look really good.
I hope that helps to get started, if you have any questions at all just let me know. Will be really great to hear how this develops and you can keep everyone updated by adding diary entries using the tab at the top of your idea.
Sarah
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Great to hear you're getting other people's opinions about your box. Are you getting some good feedback so far?
Sarah Report Abuse
I hope all the research into your idea is going well.
I just wanted to let you know about the vInspired awards which is another way for you to receive recognition for the volunteering that you do. If you sign up to www.vinspired.com you can record the hours that you spend volunteering including all the time you're putting into researching your idea and updating your Junction49 page.
There are three different certificates you can work towards - the v10, v50 and v100 (all relate to the number of hours that you've done)
If you've got any questions, just ask :-)
Sarah Report Abuse
Just read your diary and that sounds great. Have you checked out the bits of advice that Ruth mentioned on your actions page too?
I'll tweet and post a message on our Facebook page here to see if anyone has any recommendations... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Junction49/99415160533
One I'd recommend is www.childline.org.uk where they can chat to someone online or get support from other young people on their messageboards.
Sarah Report Abuse
If you want anything changing, just let me know. Report Abuse
I think putting them in a GP's surgery would definitely be a really good way to get started and like you said you might be able to get feedback about the boxes. You could also get in contact with your local CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) to see if they could take a few. This should hopefully be a link to ones near you: http://www.wikicamhs.co.uk/home/index.php?title=Northamptonshire_CAMHS
I also find out about this website on the weekend that might be good to take a look at. It has some suggestions for distractions for people who want to stop self-harming: http://www.recoveryourlife.com/
Also, Marty's comment is really useful. If you don't want to worry about having to send them to people you could get other Junction49ers based around the country who could make up the boxes and drop them into their local services.
Sarah Report Abuse
GP surgery's
Schools
Youth clubs
self harm support groups
free and confidential counselling service's
By Easter I hope to have picked what is going in to be in the box and then email that info to other Junction49ers who want to help.
Luke Report Abuse
Sounds like you've got everything sorted :-) Have you been able to speak to any schools/GP surgery's yet who have said they'd be happy to take some on.
Also, if you think you might need a bit of funding to pay for the things you want in, remember you can apply for funding to cover the costs.
Sarah Report Abuse
Sorry for overloading your page with comments today but heard about a couple of other links to do with self-harm which thought you might find useful for your project:
http://www.selfharm.co.uk/home
ChildLine have updated their self-harm pages and added some bits about coping techniques, so there may be some more things to add into your box: http://www.childline.org.uk/Explore/DamagingYourself/Pages/SelfHarm.aspx
Sarah Report Abuse
Just checking in because I hadn't heard from you in a while. How is everything going with the boxes? Have you been able to make any up yet or are you still getting ideas together to add in.
I look forward to hearing where you're at.
Sarah Report Abuse
My name is Nirja and am part of the Junction49 Team. Your idea sounds great and very thoughtful. I am here to help you if you need any ideas or support. I hope you have had no problems with funding, I look forward to reading your diary updates.
Great to know, you went for an NHS workshop and that you found it useful. Sorry to hear you have been busy lately, if you need any help or ideas perhaps you could call on the assistance of other Junction49ers? I would be happy to post your opportunity and tweet about it to get some volunteers. Marty Davis has already offered to help, so let me know if you need more assistance.
Best,
Nirja Report Abuse
Sounds like things are going well despite you being very busy. What was the NHS workshop about? Sounds really interesting.
Quick read books sound like a good idea. Are they on a particular theme or just generic?
Did you manage to apply for any funding?
Sarah
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