Student Mentor, Frank Pedigrew, currently studies MSc Sport, Physical Activity and Mental Health at Edge Hill University. Read his case study as to why he became a Tackling the Blues mentor.
Why did you choose to be a TtB mentor?
I choose to become a Tackling the Blues mentor this year due to my passion for improving mental health and delivering community sport and education programmes to children and young people of a variety of ages. In addition to this, my experience as a tackling the blues support mentor really helped inform my decision to move on to the lead mentor role having seen the positive outcomes first hand. I had also been aware of the programme in my under graduate course and was inspired by the work the programme had done to improve mental health literacy and social inclusion
What is it you enjoy about being a TtB mentor?
I enjoy making a difference to children and young people’s lives and improving outcomes for these groups. This is one of the main motivations for being involved in community sport initiatives.
Has TtB contributed to your own mental health literacy?
My mental health literacy has vastly improved during my time in the tackling the blues programme, through a variety of different means. Firstly, having to research the various key mental health topics to help inform the designing and delivery of both classroom and physical activity sessions, really helped me to increase my knowledge further. In addition to this my mental health literacy has improved through the sharing of ideas between the other student mentors, programme coordinators but also the children and young people.
Do you think TtB has contributed to your employability, if so, how?
The experience and knowledge I have gained whilst on the tackling the blues programme has helped greatly towards enhancing my employability. In particular, I have gained further confidence in delivering sports-based educational sessions to children and young people as well as helping to refine my current sports coaching practice. I have also for the first time had experience delivering educational classroom-based sessions to children and young people of a variety of ages, which will increase my opportunities for employment. I have also had the opportunity to be mentored and supported by the wider Tackling the Blues delivery team and benefit from their knowledge and experience.
What have you learnt during your time as a Ttb student mentor?
During my time as a TTB student mentor, I have developed my knowledge further about the associated mental health topics such as anxiety and depression, learnt how to structure and delivery effective educational sessions which help to teach children and young people about the importance of mental health.
What have you learnt during your time as a Ttb student mentor?
During my time as a TTB student mentor, I have developed my knowledge further about the associated mental health topics such as anxiety and depression, learnt how to structure and delivery effective educational sessions which help to teach children and young people about the importance of mental health.
Have you been involved in any of the TtB research?
I have been involved in the TTB research that has been conducted this year, including the co production prior to the programme starting which included undertaking several focus groups to help in shaping the delivery of the programme. In addition to this I completed the pre and post surveys to help demonstrate my progression on the tackling the blues. I also helped the children and young people on the programme with the completion of pre and post surveys and questionnaires. It has been great to be able to contribute to the continued monitoring and evaluation of the programme over the past year.
Would you recommend TtB to other students?
I would highly recommend TTB to other students, especially students who are interested in gaining further experience in an education setting to deliver sport or education-based sessions. I feel as though the programme is very unique in that it combines both sport and physical activity and educational based sessions and I feel as though having the experience of delivering on this programme can really help you to develop a wider skill set to help prepare you for future employment. Working in a community sport environment and seeing the impact your making is so rewarding and makes the hard work you put into designing and delivering the sessions worthwhile.
What are your plans after TtB?
I plan to move into full-time employment after I conclude my postgraduate degree. I would love to secure a role delivering community sport initiatives, education based programmes or in a mental health role in a community setting with the aim of making a difference. In the future I would consider further study in this area in the form of a PhD.