Night of drama for young people

Peabody is celebrating National Youth Work Week (1 – 7 November) by inviting young people to a special interactive performance that tackles the drama faced by young people in real life.

Get Your Head Around This, performed by the Olive Branch Theatre Company, will help young people to explore issues around mental health in a positive and constructive way.

The evening will also include a free buffet, advice and information on how to cope with problems, and a prize-giving ceremony to celebrate the achievements of young people across London.

Head of Peabody Youth Services Simon Claridge said:

'Get Your Head Around This will explode some of the myths around mental health and emotional well-being. We hope participants will leave with an improved knowledge of where to go for help if things in their lives get difficult.

'We recognise that as the recession continues young people in particular will struggle to find work and pursue their careers. Get Your Head Around This is part of a wide range of programmes and activities that we offer to young people to help build resilience, foster creativity and encourage entrepreneurship.'

Get Your Head Around This is part of Peabody's Activate London programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, which encourages mental and physical well-being.

Activate London is led by Peabody and delivered in partnership with CBHA, Circle Anglia, Family Mosaic, Metropolitan Housing and Southern Housing.

More than 84 individual projects will be rolled out in 33 London Boroughs as part of Activate London. From healthy eating, to DIY herbs and spices, to family sports, to bicycle maintenance, there's something to suit every age group and interest - and all designed to lift mood, improve health and help people ditch unhealthy habits. To find out more, email well.being@peabody.org.uk or call 0800 587 8215.

Get Your Head Around This
Tuesday 2 November – 5.45pm to 9pm
The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, Westminster, SW1P 3BU

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For more information contact Peabody Press Officer Neil Young on (020) 7021 4210 or neil.young@peabody.org.uk.

Notes for editors

• Peabody was established in 1862 and is now one of London’s oldest and largest housing associations, as well as being a charity and community regeneration agency. It owns or manages nearly 19,500 properties, providing homes to over 50,000 people across 30 London boroughs. Peabody’s mission is to make London a city of opportunity for all by ensuring as many people as possible have a good home, a real sense of purpose and a strong feeling of belonging.
• The Big Lottery Fund £165 million Well-being programme provides funding to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve well-being. The programme focuses on three strands: mental health – to help people and communities to improve mental well-being; physical activity – to help people to become more physically active in their daily lives and in their communities; and healthy eating - for children, parents and the wider community to eat more healthily. To deliver this programme, the Big Lottery Fund have appointed a number of organisations that will each deliver a portfolio of projects in England.
• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.