England Boxing supporting Mind's Mental Health Champions Toolkit

England Boxing supporting Mind’s Mental Health Champions Toolkit

July 30, 2020 | by Matt Halfpenny

Mental health charity Mind has launched a new toolkit – which is being backed by England Boxing – for clubs and groups that want to support the mental health of their members, participants, staff and volunteers.

One in four of us experiencing a mental health problem each year, meaning it’s vital it is addressed.

But it can often be hard for people to start the conversation with coaches and instructors. In fact, almost 70% of people with mental health problems say they wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about their mental health in a sports setting.

The Sport and Physical Activity Workforce Mental Health (SPAWMH) Survey from Edge Hill University in association with DOCIAsport and supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance (2019) found:

57% of respondents had experienced mental health problems at some point in their lives.
23% were experiencing mental health problems at the time of completing the survey.
35% of respondents knew of others within their organisation who were experiencing a diagnosed mental health problem, with 75% reporting they knew between one and three people.
17% of respondents had received support for their mental health from someone in their organisation.

The Mental Health Champions Toolkit is designed to help break down barriers and help clubs support their members. It introduces the idea of mental health champions, and provides guidance on establishing a mental health champions scheme.

You can find out more and download the toolkit here.