Robyn's skydive for charity that offers teens hope

Sixth form student ROBYN MUNDAY confesses she's scared of heights - yet the 17-year-old is planning to jump out of a plane from more than 10,000 feet. Discover why here

I’M doing a skydive, willingly falling out of a plane at over 10,000 ft. I’m scared of heights; this is not something I would do without good reason.

I have struggled with my mental health in my teenage years but have family and friends around me who are patient, compassionate, understanding, and loving – which has been just what I needed.

However, not every young person is so lucky.

Mental health services are suffering with chronic underfunding and struggling to be able to perform their role of providing help and support for children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties.

In 2017, more than 338,000 young people were referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), but less than a third received treatment within a year. This can leave young people feeling despondent and lonely, and ultimately let down and not cared about.

That’s why I would like to do something to help those young people who don’t get the help they need.

I’ve chosen to support the charity Papyrus, and so I’m doing this crazy skydive to help raise much-needed funds for them.

Papyrus is a national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide, and the work they do centres around three key principles:

  • They provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through their helpline – Hopeline UK.
  • They engage communities and volunteers in suicide prevention projects and deliver training programmes to individuals and groups. This involves equipping local councils, healthcare professionals and school staff with suicide prevention skills.
  • They aim to shape national social policy and make a significant contribution to the local and regional implementation of national suicide prevention strategies. Using hard-hitting and dynamic campaigns as well as presenting evidence to those in power, Papyrus press for change so that lessons can be learned to help save young lives.

I want to help ensure that more young people are able to talk and receive the help they deserve.

You can donate on my JustGiving page here. Any donation, however big or small, could help save a life.

For more information visit:www.papyrus-uk.org