The Heaviest Backpack | Secondary
Introducing our new campaign, The Heaviest Backpack, this Mental Health Awareness Week
BBC Children in Need are launching ‘The Heaviest Backpack’. The heaviest backpack is a metaphor for the psychological burden many children carry every day. Whether it’s anxiety or problems at home, it can weigh them down and follow them everywhere.
This campaign holds this metaphor at its heart; its designed to spark conversations about children’s mental health and shine a light on the work that BBC Children in Need does to support young people across the UK.
Jonathan Bundy, Youth and Community Worker at Valleys Kids, a project is supportSome of the kids we see walk around with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
The Heaviest Backpack for Schools
The campaign aims to raise awareness and deliver resources to help parents, teachers and other trusted adults relieve some of the burden for these children, and open up a nationwide conversation around children’s mental health.
The resources on this page are designed to encourage conversations about mental health and wellbeing for Secondary school children.
Roman Kemp Shares His Past Mental Health Struggles
Famous faces and young people open up to share their past mental health struggles and discuss how positive relationships helped them as part of our Heaviest Backpack campaign.
Everyday Magic Gallery
We think of activities and conversations that young people share with trusted adults as “everyday magic”. These moments of connection help young people to feel seen and loved – and can give them opportunities to open up and talk. We’ve selected a few activities to try with secondary aged young people.
