About Us
Our Story
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Get to know us
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We are Being Well - a charity dedicated to improving awareness and understanding of mental health within secondary school, sixth form and college environments. We are a group of students who have all experienced mental health issues first hand, starting in our school years. By the time we reached university we had all been directly and indirectly affected by mental health issues. We had all struggled to understand the difficulties that ourselves and those around us were experiencing, with little guidance or resources available to us. Some of us eventually sought help and were added to long waiting lists or couldn’t find services that worked well for us, all the while trying to deal with the everyday issues that come with being a young adult.
Through common friends and connections, we came together in 2017 to share our experiences. Two things became apparent:
1. Seconday schools, colleges and sixth forms were insufficiently
educating students about mental health.
2. Our mental health issues could have been resolved far more quickly if we had known what to look out for and how to seek support.
We began working on a number of concepts and ideas to transform the way mental health is discussed and perceived amongst secondary school students, teachers and parents. This movement would eventually become Being Well.
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Our Goals
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What we aim to achieve
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Our mission is to provide education to improve the awareness and understanding of wellbeing and mental health in secondary schools and sixth forms, empowering students, parents and teachers to create a more open-minded environment.
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We look to achieve this mission through the following goals:
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1. Increasing knowledge about how to maintain good mental health and wellbeing
2. Reducing stigma surrounding mental
health difficulties
3. Offering guidance about how to access
mental health support
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Our Team
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Meet the trustees
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Being Well was founded by several university students, all of whom have suffered from varying mental health conditions in the past and present. Consequently, these experiences provide us with the insight required to make a difference, and provide help to those who are the most vulnerable in our society.
Oliver began working on the project, which would eventually become Being Well, with a close friend in 2015 when they both opened up about their shared, and previously, unknown experiences with anxiety and depression. It became apparent that a lack in knowledge on the topic of mental health fuelled the anxiety. Finding help online or otherwise proved The team to be confusing and difficult without a fundamental understanding on mental well-being.
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“When I was pitched the original idea for an education-based mental health charity, I was both hooked and excited. During a time when I was experiencing my own mental health issues, I came across a number of blockades preventing me from seeking help. We have now used these issues to form the charity’s mission, supporting mental health wellbeing through education and signposting resources.”
Trustee
COLLABORATIONS LEAD
OLLIE
Charlie recently graduated from The University of Bath with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Charlie was introduced to Being Well by Jack and Ollie during it’s conception. Having suffered from anorexia and bulimia in the past, he remains motivated to make the vision a reality.
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‘Having suffered from mental health problems in the past with little to no support available, I decided I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help others in similar positions. I’m committed to supporting Being Well to ensure we can create something of real value, and offer the support I once needed.’
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He is particularly passionate about making a difference in how mental health is perceived and addressed in men, having experienced this stigma himself.
Trustee
ONLINE REACH LEAD
CHARLIE
Jack Bewsey is 23 years old and attended St Peter’s Catholic School and Sixth Form in Guildford from 2008 - 2015. He is currently in his final year of studying a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bath, and was involved with the conception of Being Well in late 2017.
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‘I thought that the concept of implementing easily accessible mental health solutions in schools across the UK sounded amazing. I know I could have really benefited from well-being services at that age, and that it really was my duty as a young adult who’s been through similar problems to try and help others who are currently in the same position.'
Jack has previously suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) for long periods of his life. With symptoms of this emerging throughout his school years, Jack is dedicated to making Being Well successful to provide the support he once lacked.
Trustee
FINANCIAL LEAD
JACK
Molly works in the mental health field and has previously worked with children and young people in the education setting. Molly first became involved with Being Well when she was studying at the University of Bath and was asked to coordinate workshops in schools.
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“Having worked with toddlers through to teenagers, I’ve realised the importance of teaching children about wellbeing and mental health at a young age. I’m passionate about building resilience in communities, not only by educating children and young people directly but by involving their families and teachers in the conversation.”
