The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales, with huge support from schools, have historically run a series of mental health debates for young people. The motions for the debates are chosen by young people, with previous topics including ‘Is gaming good for you?’ and ‘Are exams good for your mental health?’.
We’ve regularly had huge interest and contribution from Ministers for Education, and Ministers for Mental Health, as well as the Children Commissioner for Wales. Whilst the learning has been valuable to officials, the contributions have been so impressive and hopefully rewarding for the young people taking part.
In the past, these debates have also helped to inspire artists, such as Connor Allen, who hosted a series of schools workshops around the topic of gaming to create his poem 'The Keys to the Future'.
Recently, we had a focus on the topic of the environment, where primary and secondary schools across Wales debated the motion ‘Can young people prevent climate change’, chaired by Delyth Jewell MS.
These took place virtually, with a follow up session in the Norwegian Church, Cardiff. They were held with support of partners from TEC Cymru.
This year, we will be hosting a virtual debate on the topic ‘Are young people involved in decision-making?’. This will take place on Wednesday 18 December 2024 with primary schools in the morning and secondary schools in the afternoon.
To register your school’s interest in the debate, please fill out the expression of interest form, or for more information, please visit our debate web page.
For further information, please contact:
- Email: wales@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: RCPsychWales