COVID-19 was an incredibly traumatic experience that affected everyone globally, however, no group of people was affected worse than young men.

My name is Liam Harris, I’m 15 and I have been volunteering for Young Healthwatch (YHW) in Central Bedfordshire for a few years now. I have seen this in my own life, my friends suffering from low moods and lack of social skills. While COVID-19 is no longer prevalent, the effects are still here, and one thing that has helped me through this is YHW. This is for two main reasons:

  1. YHW has given me the opportunity to meet and befriend many like-minded young people, expanding my social circle and thriving personally.
  2. YHW gives you the skills, knowledge, and links to contacts to help the people you care about, and who suffer from mental health problems.

HW-ItStartsWithYou_LogoHowever, one thing that is missing is the lack of male influence in these important discussions. Out of my group of over 30 young people, I am the only male who regularly attends meetings, events, and takes part in the various projects YHW are involved with. This is an issue as it means there is very little diversity in sex, creating a heavily biased discussion.

This is why I urge you to join your local Young Healthwatch, not only to help the group and improve the diversity of discussions but also to self-improve and see the change in your community.