Building on our partnership with Youthful Minds

Marking Mental Health Awareness Week, CEO Heather Tibbo shares why raising awareness in this space is so important — not only for the charity, but for Crestbridge as a business…

Why did Crestbridge initially decide to support Youthful Minds?

Supporting the local community is central to our culture as a firm, and the opportunity to start working in partnership with Youthful Minds last year was a natural step for us. Driven by an impressive team of volunteers, the charity does a huge amount to raise awareness around mental health issues in young people – and it’s a big remit, ranging from children as young as seven years old all the way up to young adults of 25.

That struck a chord with us – as a firm with a young team but also where a significant proportion of our people have young families, and as a business that works every single day with family clients.

Why is mental health in young people such an important issue for businesses?

What’s been clear since working with Youthful Minds is that talking about mental health is fundamentally important, for businesses and for the island as a whole. The prevalence of mental health issues in young people has changed significantly over the past few years and we are seeing big shifts in how mental health is impacting children, adolescents and, ultimately, young adults – those entering the world of work.

How is Youthful Minds benefiting from Crestbridge’s support?

Youthful Minds continues to be focused on addressing the complex mental health challenges faced by young people by raising awareness and driving meaningful engagement with key organisations – including schools, youth clubs, other charities and businesses like ours. For example, they have worked with a secondary school to support young people who are finding it difficult to focus and engage with school life. This has included delivering a workshop for teachers to build understanding and provide practical approaches that staff can use to better support both students and the wider school environment.

As a firm, we’ve supported these efforts in a few ways—firstly, by providing financial support through donations and fundraising activities. Members of our team have taken on a number of fundraising initiatives and challenges this year, most recently our Director, Chloë’s “Brave the Shave”, and Josh’s upcoming 100km Ultra Challenge.

We’ve also provided professional support to help deliver specific projects and raise awareness, with our people meeting regularly with the Youthful Minds team to talk about how we can best support them.

And likewise, how has the business benefited?

Working with the team at Youthful Minds has really shone a light on where we can enhance our own approach as a business – we’ve held stress awareness sessions for our team with Youthful Minds, for example, and a significant proportion of our team are now Mental Health First Aiders, thanks to training through Youthful Minds and Mind Jersey.

What’s impacted you most through supporting Youthful Minds’ activity this year?

Unquestionably it’s the contribution made by Youthful Mind’s own group of volunteers. They are incredibly driven and give a huge amount of their time, with some being long-term volunteers. Their commitment to helping others is incredibly powerful and humbling, whether that’s through presenting in primary and secondary schools, attending promotional events or collaborating with Jersey’s health services.

What’s on the horizon for Crestbridge’s support of Youthful Minds?

We know that helping to drive positive change is not a short-term effort, and we’re continuing to build on this valuable partnership. This year, our focus is on strengthening further our relationship with Youthful Minds and their amazing team of volunteers, highlighting the potential of collaboration across the charity sector and business community, and helping to underline just how important it is to create a safe and supportive environment for young people in Jersey.

Our hope is that, through our ongoing support, we can build on what we’ve achieved so far and help to normalise conversations about mental health.