Childrens Mental Health Week 2023 – Let’s Connect!

For Place 2 Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2023, they’re encouraging people to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways.

Let’s Connect is about making meaningful connections. People thrive in communities, and this connection is vital for our wellbeing. When we have healthy connections – to family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing.

Since 1991, we’ve been getting children, active, having fun and learning together and this continues to be our mission to this day.

So, with Place 2 Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week ‘Let’s Connect’ campaign, let us take a look at how Kings Camps can offer support and healthy connections for children and young people attending our activity camps.

For 5-14 year olds, Kings Camps is a place they can participate in sports and games in groups with others of a similar age. Through Getting to Know You games and team sports, children not only develop their skills and knowledge in the sports and activities being delivered by the Red Tops but they quickly get to know their team mates and develop friendships.

Through our Rookie Academy programme, young people aged 15-17 are encouraged to connect with others of a younger age by delivering activities, developing confidence and their communication skills. The programme encourages guidance and development opportunities as they work alongside the Red Tops.

Our coaches, aka Red Tops, offer a great experience for children. Experienced in sports coaching, teaching, childcare and education, our Red Tops deliver 30 sports and active games, across a week of camp. Their focus is to provide a fun and active experience during the school holidays, delivering the Kings Factor – where children are active, have fun, learn and make friends.

In the last 12 months, our Feefo independent reviews, support our work and show that our camps provide a great experience for children to connect and enhance their health and wellbeing, with over a quarter of the reviews stating the children had fun and made friends. And over 1/3 who stated they loved their experience. We’re delighted to make such an impact during the school holidays.

With the volume of screen-time increasing; television, game consoles or mobile phones, connecting and socialising with others is decreasing and we’re becoming a more isolated society. The benefits children and young people gain from physical activity have never been as important as they are now. Exercise has great benefits for a child’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being, but it also helps to meet new people, make new friendships and offers an additional support network.

With camps across the UK during the school holidays, it gives children the opportunity to connect with others. Now is the time to Power Off. Game On.