10/10/2026
Sometimes, the most powerful proof that a lesson has worked is seeing it come to life when it matters most.
For one of our Mental Health Champions, this was a moment when what she had learnt became real. After returning home from camp, she found her parents arguing. She knew the tension was affecting her, and instead of keeping it to herself, she used the skills she had gained to start a conversation and help them work through the situation. A lesson from camp had found its way into her home.
This year, 50 girls were trained as Mental Health Champions during our annual residential camp. But for us, the value is not simply in the number trained. It is in equipping girls with practical skills they can carry with them long after camp is over. Through our activities, we also incorporate Take 5 techniques, giving girls practical tools to pause, manage stress and navigate difficult emotions.
And when a girl has these tools, the impact can travel. It can show up when she listens to a friend who is struggling, when she helps someone through a difficult moment, or when she recognises that she needs support herself. Investing in one girl’s mental health can therefore create ripples through her friendships, family and wider community.
That is what “Lived experiences: real voices, real change” means to us. It means listening to what girls are going through, giving them the tools to navigate it and trusting them to become part of the change they want to see around them.
This World Mental Health Day, check in on someone. Ask how they are and listen to them. Make space for an honest conversation. You never know what difference being there could make.
