Mental Health Champions for Islanders
Change Mental Health’s Young People’s Programmes are designed to reach young people early. Mental Health Champions for Islanders extends that work across Scotland’s island communities, training young people, educators and community leaders to build lasting, local support for mental health.Â
Delivered over a single 3-hour session, the training is funded by the Scottish Government’s National Islands Plan. You’ll finish the session with your own action plan for promoting positive mental health in your community.
Mental Health Champions: what's covered
Understanding mental health
We'll explore what this much-used term means, the ways it is sometimes misused and the impact this can have.
How to be a Champion
We’ll help you create your own action plan for promoting positive mental health in your community.
What is mental illness?
Informed by our work and heritage of supporting people living with mental illness for over 50 years, this session covers top-level facts about some common and less common conditions by unpacking misconceptions.
Supporting your own wellbeing
Build a toolkit of resilience strategies and discuss what works best for you.
Stigma reduction & cultural change
Explore the many ways stigma shows up, and practise ways of actively challenging it when you hear it.
Who can take part
This training is free if you are:
- A young person aged 16–25 living in an island community
- A teacher, education professional or youth worker in an island school or college or youth group
- A community leader or community group representative based in an island community.
Interested in becoming a Mental Health Champion, or want to bring this training to your island community?
Contact our team to discuss the upcoming dates.
National Advice and Support Service
Providing clear, practical and impartial information, advice and support for people affected by mental health and money issues.
Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30pm)
Frequently Asked Questions
 This training is available across all of Scotland’s islands.Â
Each online training session has 15 spaces, allocated on a first come, first served basis, so early registration is recommended if you’re interested.
The training is delivered online. In-person sessions will be considered in special circumstances. Contact our Young People’s Programmes team for more information.Â
The Mental Health Champions Forum is a peer support network connecting Champions across Scotland’s islands. It will meet quarterly, starting in Spring 2027.Â
