Junk Journaling is a Hit with Young People

Last week we ran a free junk journaling taster session for 10 young people here in Nantwich. It was a massive success, with incredible feedback and a genuine buzz. Read on to find out what we did, how we did it, and what's next...

Junk journaling materials

Reaching out to the local community

It was important to find the right people to participate in our taster, and I wanted to focus on the 16-21 age group. This group is really underserved by primary mental health services, with many young people being seen as too old (or not sick enough) for child mental health services (such as CAMHS), but being too young for adult services, which usually only kick in at 18.

I have a 17-year-old daughter, so the obvious starting point was her friends, college, and wider networks. I also reached out to fellow parents and local partner communities. Soon we had a number of sign-ups and I was set to go!

So many people!

We were expecting 8 people for the session, but 10 turned up! This is pretty much unheard of - usually sessions are under, not over-subscribed. But it was all good - the teens shared their resources (and a bench made for 2 but now seating 4), and got on with it.

I was also bowled over by the number of people who filled in the survey - which was designed to find out more about the needs and problems of young people locally, and in the wider community. So thanks to everyone who took part in that too.

Fun, creativity, and connections

Junk journaling is a form of journaling that's similar to scrapbooking, but with a key difference - the journals are designed to represent YOU, your identity, interests, hopes, dreams, or anything you like. We also leave space for writing, or sketching, and it's truly personal. I loved the fun atmosphere, the collaboration and creativity, and most of all the connections made between the young people. This is what is so important about these workshops - it reduces isolation, which is in itself so helpful for mental health.

No phones required

It would be untrue to claim that phones didn't make an appearance at all - of course they did - but they were primarily used to engage with the session. Those who did get their phones out were looking for pictures, or taking photos of their creations to share with others. All-in-all I'd say that a couple of hours without phones was a great benefit of this workshop.

Fantastic feedback!

We filmed some short feedback videos with the participants and above you can watch our 3 minute video all about the session. What's next? We are hoping to take this iniative and turn it into a long-term project for young people, where we can create real and lasting impact in our community.

Sign up to our newsletter to keep in touch and find out more about this exciting project.

JoJo x