Our outreach programme in schools and further education is an important part of our work, helping to raise awareness among young people in the local community.
For some time, with a break during the Covid pandemic, Cheltenham Branch has been offering two specific services to local secondary schools:
- A short "talk" to students and/or staff about who Samaritans are, what we do and how to access our services.
- Full-length lessons on various aspects of Emotional Health delivered to specific year groups, as requested by the school. These lessons are integrated into the Schools’ Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum, and materials are sourced from the Samaritans-produced DEAL (developing emotional awareness and listening) programme. DEAL is a free resource for teachers and other education professionals designed to help develop resilience in young people. You can find out more about the DEAL programme on the Samaritans website.
We have delivered the latter in Pates Grammar School, Balcarras High School, Bournside High School, Tewkesbury High School, Knight Alderman Special School Tewkesbury and, most recently, Cheltenham Ladies College.
In addition, Cheltenham Samaritans fosters links with local colleges and in particular the University of Gloucestershire, supporting their pastoral services and ensuring students are aware of our services.
In September, Anna Hay, Head of Student Wellbeing at the University of Gloucestershire addressed our Branch AGM and gave insights into some of the mental health challenges of students.