A mental health social movement by and for young people, is launching new services across North Somerset, providing mental health and wellbeing information and support for 11-18 year olds in the area.

Young people can sign up for Off The Record's (OTR) services now at otrnorthsomerset.org.uk.

OTR has a reputation for working in an inclusive, youth-led and strengths-based way, and now reaches more than 13,000 young people each year through a diverse range of offers, including increasing digital provision.

It is this digital offer, alongside delivery in schools across North Somerset, that will enable OTR to support 11-18 year olds.

The group will continue to work in line with lockdown guidelines and will soon have sourced a premises in the region to develop further in-person work in the coming months.

OTR’s reach into North Somerset has been guided by collaboration and consultation with partners and existing service providers in North Somerset, and will be shaped further by young people’s voice and needs.

The current OTR North Somerset offer includes the Resilience Lab - group sessions which contain a host of ideas about how to cope with stress, stay relaxed, discover strengths, reach out to others and keep on top of things when life gets tough.

Mind Aid is a group workshop for anyone aged 11-17 struggling with difficult feelings related to stress, anxiety, low mood, or depression, while Acts of Activism is an eight-week-long project for 16-18 year olds where the group will learn about different topics around social action and activism.

The group has launched its North Somerset website, where young people can sign up to the projects.

OTR chief executive, Karen Black, said: “We’re really excited to start phasing our offer into the area and working alongside partners and young people to help build a healthier, happier North Somerset.

"We want to work as flexibly as possible within community settings to let young people know that support is out there for when things are tough and stressful, but also for understanding what keeps us well and happy.

"We’re delighted to have been welcomed so warmly already and can’t wait to develop more services in the coming months."