Bounce Forward

10/10/2026

Four years of partnership. Twenty years of purpose.

This is particularly special as Bounce Forward celebrates 20 years of work.

Alongside the Harry Kane Foundation, we’ve spent the last four years helping young people, parents and schools build psychological fitness.

Together, we’ve reached over 100,000 young people and supported thousands of parents and carers.

But our shared ambition has always been bigger than a single lesson or campaign.
It’s about building skills that last.

For friendships. For setbacks. For change. For life.

Thank you, Harry Kane Foundation, for helping us build what lasts.

10/10/2026

20 years of learning. One lesson that matters more than ever.

Young people’s mental health doesn’t exist in isolation.

It’s shaped by the people around them, the relationships they build and the way they see adults navigate life’s challenges.

This , as Bounce Forward celebrates 20 years of work, we’re reflecting on something important:

Supporting young people means supporting the adults around them, too.

Through our partnership with the Harry Kane Foundation, we’ve helped bring psychological fitness skills to over 100,000 young people.

Because when young people learn to regulate, recover and adapt — and adults model those skills — the impact can last a lifetime.

20 years of learning. A lifetime of possibilities.

Read our story:
https://bounceforward.com/twenty-years-of-learning-ten-years-independent-still-moving-forward/

10/10/2026

01/10/2026

20 years of learning. 10 years independent. And we’re still moving forward. 🎉

This year marks an incredibly special milestone for Bounce Forward.

For 20 years, we’ve been learning what it really takes to help young people develop the skills to navigate life — not just when things get difficult, but before they do.

And for 10 years, we’ve been doing that as an independent charity.

Two decades of working alongside young people, teachers, parents, schools, researchers and partners have shaped what we believe today: Young people don’t just need support when they struggle. They need the skills, relationships and environments that help them thrive throughout life.

✅Our language has evolved.
✅Our programmes have grown.
✅Our understanding has deepened.

But the ambition has only become bigger.

To make psychological fitness a normal part of growing up.

To help young people regulate, recover and adapt.

And to build communities that are better prepared for whatever life brings.

So this anniversary isn't simply about looking back.

It's about taking everything we've learned and moving it forward.

Here’s to the next chapter. 🧡

Read more about our journey and what comes next:

Nearly 20 years of Bounce Forward: from pioneering research to building psychological fitness in young people, adults, schools and communities.

30/09/2026

We still sometimes talk about young people’s “online lives” as though they’re separate from real life.

For young people, that distinction increasingly makes little sense.

Identity. Friendship. Comparison. Belonging. Influence. Relationships.

All now move between physical and digital spaces.

So perhaps we need to move beyond simply asking: “How much screen time is too much?” And start asking:

Who is trying to influence me?
How does what I see affect how I think about myself?
What is the difference between what I’m shown and the full story?
What boundaries do I want online?

Media literacy is increasingly life literacy.

That’s why understanding media influence forms part of the psychological fitness learning within Healthy Minds.

Explore the curriculum:
https://bounceforward.com/our-courses/healthy-minds/

28/09/2026

When a young person feels anxious, our instinct is often reassurance.
“Don’t worry.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“There’s nothing to be anxious about.”

Well intentioned. But not always useful. Anxiety is part of being human.

The goal isn’t to make sure young people never experience it. It’s to help them understand what’s happening and develop ways to respond.

What is my body doing?
What am I predicting?
What can I control?
What could help me regulate?
Who could I talk to?

Psychological fitness doesn’t promise a life without anxiety.

It develops greater understanding, choice and agency when anxiety appears.

Explore Bounce Forward’s psychological fitness support for parents:
https://bounceforward.com/our-courses/psychological-fitness-for-parents/

25/09/2026

Resilience has become confused with positivity.

Keep going. Toughen up. Bounce back. Look on the bright side.

But real psychological fitness isn’t about pretending difficult things aren’t difficult.
Sometimes disappointment hurts.
Sometimes uncertainty is uncomfortable.
Sometimes the environment — not the individual — needs to change.

Psychological fitness is about developing the capacity to respond constructively.
To regulate without suppressing.
To recover without pretending nothing happened.
To adapt without losing agency.
And to recognise when we need support or change around us.

Strength isn’t the absence of difficult emotions. It’s knowing how to navigate them. That’s why we talk about: Regulate. Recover. Adapt.
https://bounceforward.com/

23/09/2026

Children learn from what adults teach them. But they also learn from what adults show them.

🔺How we react when something goes wrong.
🔺How we speak about ourselves after making a mistake.
🔺How we handle uncertainty.
🔺Whether we ask for help.
🔺Whether we can apologise, adapt and try again.

Young people don’t develop psychological fitness in isolation. The adults and relationships around them form part of their lived curriculum.

That doesn’t mean adults need to model perfection. Quite the opposite.

Young people need to see that adults experience pressure and setbacks too — and that there are constructive ways to navigate them.

What happens around a young person shapes what becomes possible within them.

Discover our support for parents and carers:
https://bounceforward.com/our-courses/psychological-fitness-for-parents/

21/09/2026

We’ve become much better at talking about young people’s mental health.

But are we still waiting too long to give them the skills they need?

We teach children maths before they need to manage money. We teach physical education before there’s a problem with their physical health.

Psychological fitness should be no different.

Understanding emotions. Regulating reactions. Thinking flexibly. Recovering from setbacks.

Asking for support. Adapting when life doesn’t go to plan.

These aren’t crisis interventions. They’re life skills.

Specialist mental health support will always matter. But prevention means building capability earlier — before difficulties escalate.

The ambition shouldn’t simply be helping young people when life becomes difficult.

It should be better preparing them for life in the first place.

Regulate. Recover. Adapt.

Explore our work:
https://bounceforward.com/our-courses/

18/09/2026

Are you okay?” is an important question.

But perhaps it shouldn't be our only one. We could also ask:
❓What helps you when things feel difficult?
❓Who do you trust enough to talk to?
❓What do you do when something doesn't go to plan?
❓Can you recognise when your thinking is making a situation feel worse?
❓Do you know what helps you regulate?

Because mental health isn't only about identifying when somebody isn't okay.

It's also about developing the capabilities, relationships and self-understanding that help us navigate everyday life.

Awareness changed the conversation.

Now we need to build the skills behind it.

That's psychological fitness.
https://bounceforward.com/our-courses/healthy-minds/