Ospreys expand Action for Children partnership with Guide Digital

Ospreys in the Community is expanding its mental health partnership with Action for Children by adopting the charity’s Guide Digital mental health literacy platform.

The programme was developed in Canada and provides a complete set of online resources proven to increase the understanding of mental health and mental disorders, decrease the stigma of mental illness and increase the ability to seek help.

Action for Children brought the evidence-based initiative to high schools all over Wales in 2018 and have been funded by Welsh Government to produce Guide Digital to broaden the scheme out on a digital platform free until March 2021.

The Ospreys rugby region is passionate about improving the mental health and wellbeing of the children and young people that play for its many affiliated regional clubs. Action for Children has already worked with Ospreys in the Community team on establishing ‘Bouncing Back’ in the region to support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people in secondary schools. Keen to expand their mental health programmes, they have also successfully piloted the Guide Digital and have booked over thirty more places to roll out across their regional clubs.

Tom Sloane, Community Foundation Manager at Ospreys In the Community, said: “We have always been passionate about supporting our local communities, schools and clubs. Having the opportunity to work closely with Action for Children to support the mental well-being of young people in our area is very welcome and builds on the recently launched “Bouncing Back” programme in secondary schools.

“Rugby clubs are the heart of so many communities in Wales and the Ospreys region, so it’s a perfect place to work closely with them to tackle the stigma and increase awareness around mental health. Sport has a fantastic way of bringing people together, breaking down barriers and has been proven to support mental & physical well-being.”

Chris Dunne oversaw the establishment of the Guide in Wales for Action for Children and said: “We are absolutely thrilled the Ospreys have come on board with Bouncing Back and now, Guide Digital. They recognise the value of Action for Children’s work and see the impact we have on the mental health of our children and young people through our evidence-based initiatives.

“The rugby community is famously tight-knit and is the perfect platform to engage young people on these critical issues just as mental health is being challenged even further by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ospreys are leading the way as pioneers showing that however tough a sport’s reputation may be, the mental health and wellbeing of their young people must be addressed, free of stigma, in an open and engaging way. I’m very proud to work with such a forward thinking and compassionate organisation.”