Lunching, learning, and looking after our minds: An inspiring session with Anna Freud

We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Lowenna Wagstaff, Corporate Partnerships Officer from Anna Freud, one of the UK's leading mental health charities for children and young people, to LAVA HQ for a lunchtime session that left us informed, and inspired.

At LAVA, we're lucky enough to be able to use our Positive Change initiative to provide 2.5% of annual revenue directly to charities focused on the health and wellbeing of the UK's children and young people. As our latest charity partner, it was fantastic to hear about the scale and impact of Anna Freud's work, first hand.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Lowenna led an interactive Lunch & Learn focused on mental health in young people, sharing insights into the rising challenges faced by children and teenagers across the UK, and discussing how businesses like LAVA can play a part in supporting their work.

We were struck by the fact that one in five children and young people now has a probable mental health disorder, according to 2023 data from the NHS. That number's risen sharply in recent years, partly due to the pandemic, and behind the statistics are real stories of pressure, anxiety, and young lives impacted by uncertainty and trauma. The session opened up conversations around resilience, the importance of early intervention, and the role we all play – whether as parents, carers, colleagues, or just as part of society – in breaking down the stigma around mental health.

We were also given a glimpse into the incredible work Anna Freud is doing with the help of donations like LAVA's. From providing frontline mental health support in schools including their Schools and Colleges Early Support service, to offering free online resources for families and professionals, the organisation reaches tens of thousands of people across the UK. The Mentally Healthy Schools initiative launched in 2018 as a joint venture between Anna Freud and several other organisations including Place2Be, another of LAVA's charity partners. In 2020, Anna Freud took over the full running of the platform, which has been used by over 25,000 schools across the UK, providing resources and support helping teachers and staff spot the signs of potential mental health difficulties and respond early to struggling students.

As a proud supporter of Anna Freud's work, it was a brilliant opportunity to see the impact our sponsorship is helping make possible. It was also a reminder that mental health doesn't stop at the school gates; we all benefit when we work in environments where mental health is understood, prioritised, and openly talked about.

A huge thank you to Lowenna and the Anna Freud team for making the time to come in, and for everything they do. For anyone who's curious, we'd highly recommend checking out their brilliant toolkit for parents and carers, or their free Self Care resources for young people – all available on their website.

Here's what some of the LAVA team had to say:

I really appreciated the openness with which they spoke about the brilliant work they're doing. It can often be hard to understand exactly what our donations provide, but Anna Freud are happy for people to really feel and see the impact they're making on young people's lives.

Ary Singh Head of Origination

I thought it was really interesting to see the range of work that they do, from the direct, 1-1 therapy having a huge impact on individuals, to the broad resources they provide for schools and parents that can provide a much wider benefit to so many families across the UK.

Millie Counsell Assistant Manager

I liked the fact that they're so involved with studies and research into better understanding mental health and wellbeing, and apply scientific approaches to ensure they're providing the best and most appropriate support possible.

Cannelle Ramas Analyst