凯特王妃为儿童心理健康周录制的视频

Kate Middleton’s Video Message for Children’s Mental Health Week

 

Every child deserves to grow up, knowing their potential and feeling confident that they won’t fall at the first hurdle, that they cope with life’s setbacks. This resilience – our ability to deal with stressful situations – is something we begin to learn in childhood, as we respond to each challenge and problem life presents.

 

“Do you all talk to your friends about your feelings, too?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

…

 

“Are they helpful as well, do they help you? Sometimes it does help, doesn’t it? But other times there’s things that you probably don’t feel you want to share with your friends, but at least you’ve got an adult to trust and to help you.”

 

Many of us are incredibly fortunate that the issues we face in childhood are ones we can cope with and learn from. But for some children, learning to cope with life’s challenges can be a struggle.

 

“Place2Be has helped me a lot. If it wasn’t in the school, I don’t think I’d be able to cope as much.”

 

While we cannot always change a child’s circumstances, we can give them the tools to cope, and to thrive. With early support they can learn to manage their emotions and feelings and know when to seek help.

 

“Does it help your schoolwork as well, do you think?”

 

“Yeah, it helps my schoolwork, ’cause when I feel sad, I always don’t, like, do my work sometimes.”

      

“Do you draw any artwork, do you two?”

 

“Yeah, we draw pictures about how our feeling.”

 

A child who’s overcome challenges with proper emotional support will emerge stronger.

 

“I find Place2Be a very good thing to be in the school, because whenever I have an issue, I just decide to go there and it makes me feel a lot better because I like speaking what I feel.”

 

Through my work in areas like addiction, I have seen time and again that the roots of poor mental health in adulthood frequently stem from unresolved childhood issues. This needs to change. William and I feel that every child deserves to be supported through difficult times in their lives.

 

“If you don’t smarten at Place2Be as well?” [Inaudible]

 

“Yeah, sometimes.”

 

“Sometimes, yeah. And how’s that helped?”

 

“Quite a lot. But I get to take much my feeling, how I feel in a form of painting or drawing.”  　

 

Schools are uniquely placed to provide emotional support, working with children and their families – this is something that Place2Be understands. I am incredibly proud to be that patron.

 

“When you were younger, did you have Place2Be? And if you didn’t, did you ever dream of something like it?”

 

“I would love to have had it. I think everyone would really benefit from having something like Place2Be and being able to talk.”

 

This Children’s Mental Health Week, we want to support schools to prioritise the emotional wellbeing of their students, alongside academic success. By ensuring every child is given the emotional support they need, we are giving them a firm foundation for the happy, healthy future they deserve.

 

“Cut.”

 

“Ooh, well-done.”