Hannah, our youth volunteer visited colleges for Freshers' Fair

On our stalls, we used paper tablecloths and placed colourful pens around the table.  We asked the people to write on the tablecloth their experiences as we felt it was a very personal question and verbally expressing their stories might have been difficult. We also included a sharps box alongside post-it notes and pencils if they would rather write about their experience privately.

Overall the students were very engaged and happy to share positive/ negative experiences. Unfortunately, the majority of negative responses were from people who had received/receiving “support” from CAHMS. I must admit some of the stories I heard and listened to were tragic and sad, occasionally after hearing these stories I had to remove myself because it was very emotional hearing what some of these young people had to say. Students talked about the college’s LGBTQ and mental health support offered. Most students felt it was easy to access and that staff were very understanding of the different situations, offering helpful advice and support.

Most of the Freshers' Fair set-ups were in easily accessible locations and located near college cafes and amenities. Unfortunately, Worthing College freshers fair was in a “basement” with very few stalls set up and we felt the college and students weren't very engaged with the event. The Healthwatch team and I wrote up the responses from the young people/students and gave it to the Chair of the Integrated Care Board, Stephen Lightfoot. I thought his understanding, positive actions and words show positive signs for young people's support in future.