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Looking forward to Thursdays: effective learning for young adults with mental health difficulties; project report and evaluation
- Authors:
- SMITH Linda, AYLWARD Nicola
- Publisher:
- National Youth Agency,|National Institute of Adult Continuing Education
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 19p.
- Place of publication:
- Leicester
Research shows that young people who experience mental health difficulties are subject to stigma and discrimination (56% and 51% respectively report discrimination from family and friends). Similarly these young people are at risk of experiencing severe isolation and exclusion from society throughout their adult lives, unless effective interventions can be made. In response to this trend and the impact that mental health difficulties can have upon a young person’s life and learning, in 2001 the Young Adult Learners Partnership (YALP) conducted a survey of over 200 providers in both the formal and informal learning sectors. Survey respondents included staff from further education colleges, community-based adult learning, and voluntary and statutory youth work provision. The purpose of the survey was to identify current policy and practice in learning provision for young adults aged 16-25 with mental health difficulties and to highlight examples of good work. The responses to the survey revealed a small number of examples of highly effective provision for this target group. However, the findings overwhelmingly indicated that despite awareness of increasing numbers of young adults with mental health difficulties, there was a lack of targeted provision for this group of learners and potential learners. One of the main factors that was identified by providers as preventing them from establishing effective learning, was lack of knowledge and information about the needs of young adults with mental health difficulties and how learning could help them.