A STUDENT with a passion for helping people with mental health issues has been chosen for a national role.

University of Worcester student Rhianna Levi has been selected to become a Young Champion for the charity Time to Change, which aims to tackle the stigma around mental health.

The role involves participating in talks at schools and other establishments, as well as being part of national campaigns and events.

Rhianna, 19, said: “I am going to gain a large amount of new skills and opportunities in the next year, which is very exciting.

"I recently travelled to Manchester for the weekend to do my training with other champions. It was such a fun and amazing experience – the passionate energy about mental health was remarkable and I have made many new friends for life.”

She added: “Mental health is something that can have a major impact on lives and it is of profound importance that within a continuously changing society, we take the subject of mental health seriously and disregard the taboos that have been pinned to it over centuries.

“I want to give people hope and encouragement to believe in themselves and to remember that even if you do have a mental health issue, you should embrace it because it does not define you and it certainly does not make you broken goods.”

Rhianna was driven to create her blog, The Mind and Me, and become a mental health campaigner after being diagnosed with anxiety and depression two years ago.

She now receives professional support and uses social media to connect with people across the world.

“My blog and social media presence has been very successful over the past few years, and it is so lovely to receive comments about how my writing and tips have helped others also speak about mental health,” she said.

At the University of Worcester, Rhianna is one of the founders of its first mental health society, which is in association with charity Student Minds, and aims to support members of the university community.

“To connect with so many other passionate students to make this venture possible has been really rewarding and I cannot wait for its second year as a society,” Rhianna said.

Read more from Rhianna at https://mhstories.com/2017/09/26/rhianna-18-uk

Here are a list of organisations to get in touch with regarding mental health:

CHILDLINE:

Telephone: 0800 1111

Website: http://www.childline.org.uk

RETHINK MENTAL ILLNESS:

Telephone: 0300 5000 927

Website: http://www.rethink.org

Time To Change:

Telephone: 020 8215 2356

Website: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk

Sane:

Telephone: 0300 304 7000

Website: http://www.sane.org.uk

Mind:

Telephone: 0300 123 3393

Website: http://www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans:

Telephone: 116 123

Website: http://www.samaritans.org