A new awareness campaign which highlights the long-term benefits of early intervention mental health and wellbeing services for young people is being promoted by Zurich on the Isle of Man.

The company is supporting Isle Listen’s campaign which highlights how its mental health educational programmes in schools is equipping young people with the skills and resilience they need to manage their mental wellbeing now, and in later life.

Manx Care has reported seeing an 83% increase in demand for the Children’s Mental Health Service since September 2020. This significant rise is the reason that Isle Listen has launched its new awareness campaign which shines a spotlight on the scale of the issue, and the long-term benefits of early help being key to reducing the numbers of young people on statutory waiting lists

Bruce Pearson, chief executive officer, Zurich International Life Ltd, said: ‘Mental wellbeing is a top priority for Zurich, both locally and globally. In conjunction with the Z Zurich Foundation, which is a charitable foundation funded by various members of the global Zurich Insurance Group, Zurich in the Isle of Man is now in the third and final year of a collaboration with Isle Listen.

‘That has involved enabling Isle Listen to deliver a ground-breaking programme to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in schools across the island. In its first two years it has reached tens of thousands of pupils and students in assemblies and personal, social, health and economic education lessons, as well as one-to-one low-level therapeutic support through its listening service for issues such as low mood, worry and self-esteem.

‘The positive impact that this type of early intervention programme can have is widely accepted, and it’s clear that Isle Listen’s excellent work is making a difference to the lives of young people. But it’s equally clear that much more needs to be done. That’s why we are helping to promote Isle Listen’s latest awareness campaign by promoting it on our social media channels.’

As a charitable initiative, Isle Listen relies on fundraising to provide its one-to-one support to young people in schools free of charge, and in the last academic year (2021/22), it has seen a concerning 30% increase in the demand for these services.

With its breadth of experience, and backed by the charity’s qualified clinical team, Isle Listen is also one of the island’s leading providers of mental health and wellbeing training to employers and their workforce, and this also supports the free delivery of its services to young people.

Bruce Pearson explains: ‘Isle Listen provided Mental Health First Aider training to a number of our team. This has been positively received by the First Aiders, and those they have assisted, after learning skills which enable them to spot the early signs when someone is struggling. Our mental health first aiders come from a variety of roles, so that means everyone in the business knows someone that they can approach if they need help. Based on our experience, I would definitely recommend this type of training as an example of the benefits that businesses can gain from supporting and working with Isle Listen.’

The Zurich Insurance Group and the Z Zurich Foundation also support a three-year partnership between UNICEF and the Z Zurich Foundation which aims to equip 400,000 adolescents and 150,000 caregivers in seven countries with information, skills and strategies on how to care for their own and each other’s mental wellbeing.

• You can find out more about how your business could benefit from collaborating with Isle Listen by emailing [email protected].

Information can also be found www.zurichinternational.com/im/employee-well-being.