7th August 2015
Last month marked the end of a rewarding journey for 6 of our students who worked tirelessly to increase the level of awareness and empathy towards mental illness issues in the community, through an exciting programme with the charity Envision.
Two members of 'Team Missile'
The programme, which is loosely based on BBC TV series, The Apprentice and Dragon’s Den, aims to help young people make a difference, meanwhile developing leadership and management skills that can be transferred to any future career path.
St Brendan’s ‘Team Missile’ comprised of students Vicky Beaton, Mia Bristow, Rhiannon Macdonald, Casie Dixon, Erin Moran and Amir Mansaray. They faced many challenges from the start as their planned mental health school workshops were considered unsuitable for school-aged pupils. Undeterred by this, they proceeded to hold the workshops here at St Brendan’s.
The group of students ensured questionnaires were completed at the start and finish of their informative sessions to measure the impact of the workshops and to track any change in perceptions. As well as this, an online petition was set-up to persuade key influencers and decision-makers to include mental illness in the National Curriculum.
During the Envision Community Apprentice finals St Brendan’s Team Missile faced strong competition from 30 teams across Bristol and Birmingham. Issues were incredibly interesting and ranged from body image to homelessness.
Student Rhiannon MacDonald and leader of Team Missile, commented, “Mental illness is an issue faced by individuals and families in every community yet it remains one of the last taboos. I’m proud that we were able to make a difference.”
After much debate, The City Academy team were announced Community Apprentice 2015. Congratulations to our 6 students who worked incredibly hard; getting into the final 3 teams of the competition and having such an impact within the St Brendan’s community is a fantastic achievement!
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G63ccUU0g3U&feature=youtu.be to watch a video of ‘Team Missile’ in action!
