Make mental health personal for young people

The issue

We live in a world where mental health is one of the most pressing issues for the younger generation. A fifth of 13 to 18-year-olds have a mental health condition and yet, 80% of young people in the US with severe depression receive little or no treatment.

What can we do about it?

When Diana Chow had bipolar disorder as a teenager, she found that writing letters, to nobody in particular, helped to get her feelings out and ease the pain.

This intimate and human power of anonymous letter writing became the catalyst for setting up her non-profit business: Letters to Strangers. Volunteers write anonymous, heartfelt letters to young people aged 13 to 24, offering them support when they’re going through difficult times.

As a Unilever Young Entrepreneurs Awards winner, Diana has evolved her simple letter writing idea into a global youth-run organisation. Letters to Strangers now supports over 35,000 young people worldwide with education, training and talks in schools and other mental health organisations, helping them to open up about their issues.

If you’re passionate about mental health and have a wide range of skills, why not volunteer your time by writing letters to young people experiencing mental health problems. Or you could get involved in other general roles to help keep the organisation running.