The #MyRightsMyMind pledge
What is it and who’s signed up?

More and more decision-makers are taking notice of Our Minds Our Future. Find out why we’re asking them to take the #MyRightsMyMind pledge or scroll down see who’s already signed up.

MPs and Lords who’ve pledged, left to right: John McDonnell MP (Hayes & Harlington and Shadow Chancellor); Baroness Diana Barran (Member of the House of Lords and Minister for Civil Society); Lisa Nandy (Wigan); Karen Buck (Westminster North); Lloyd Russel Moyle (Brighton Kemptown and Chair of the APPG on Youth Affairs)

Why we’re asking for a pledge

In 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May spoke about the “burning injustice” of the mental health ‘crisis’. In 2019 the NHS committed £2.3 billion per year to help improve access to mental health support, especially for young people. Right now, decision-makers in every local area in England are planning how to spend that money.

We know that lots of politicians and people in the health system are working hard to tackle the mental health ‘crisis’. But we also know that too many young people are being let down by services that just don’t work for us. For far too long, we’ve been cut out of decisions – not just about our own care, but about how services are run and what the system should look like for people our age.

Our human rights say we’re entitled to better. Better quality services, better access to those services, and a bigger say in how the system is run. So with this once-in-a-generation opportunity to change things for the better, that’s exactly what we’re calling for – our rights.

Together as a national movement and in local campaign teams around the country, young people are training up as ‘Rights Advocates’ to call on decision-makers at every level to join our fight – starting with the pledge to respect #MyRightsMyMind.

Key political figures who support our demands, left to right: Matt Hancock MP (West Suffolk and Secretary of State for Health & Social Care); Anne Longfield (Children’s Commissioner for England); Andrea Leadsom (Under Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy)

Who do we want to pledge?

We want all people with power to change the mental health system – locally and nationally – to take the pledge.

Our young Rights Advocates work with other young people and volunteers where they live to get pledges from local decision-makers, such as councillors – who decide how local services are funded – and commissioners, who decide where NHS money gets spent locally.

Nationally, Rights Advocates have organised meetings, attended events and presented at political party conferences to win the support of several MPs and Ministers in government, who have promised to push for change nationally.

Service providers are also important decision-makers, as they can directly influence change by working with young people to improve their services.

MPs who’ve given support to the campaign, left to right: Norman Lamb MP (North Norfolk) with Rights Advocates and young campaigners from Norfolk; Jacki Doyle-Price MP (Thurrock & former Under Secretary for Health); Virendra Sharma MP (Easling, Southall); Seema Malhotra MP (Feltham and Heston); Kate Hollern MP (Blackburn & Shadow Minister for Local Government); Chloe Smith MP (Norwich North & Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office) with Rights Advocates and young campaigners from Norfolk; Preet Kaur Gill MP (Birmingham Edgbaston); Jim Shannon MP (Strangford)

All official pledge takers & #MyRightsMyMind Champions:

Parliamentarians & young parliamentarians

• Baroness Diana Barran – Conservative peer in the House of Lords and Minister for Civil Society
• John McDonnell – Labour MP for Hayes & Harlington and Shadow Chancellor
• Ed Miliband – Labour MP for Doncaster
• Lloyd Russell-Moyle – Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Chair of the APPG on Youth Affairs
• Karen Buck – Labour MP for Westminster North and member of the Joint Committee for Human Rights
• Lisa Nandy – Labour MP for Wigan
• Liz Twist – Labour MP for Blaydon
• Julie Ward – Labour MEP, North West England
• Dylan Lewis-Rowlands – MYP for Rhondda, Cynon Taf

Government & public bodies

• Giles Dilnot – Head of Communications and External Affairs, Office of the Children’s Commissioner

Councillors

• Teresa Heritage -Deputy Leader of Hertfordshire County Council; Executive Member for Children, Young People & Families and Vice Chair of the Local Government Association Children & Young People’s Board
• Kerry Boyd – Conservative District Councillor, Thanet
• Joe Porter – Conservative & Independent District Councillor, Staffordshire Moorelands
• Michael L. Cockerill – Parish Councillor, North Horsham

Charity executives & service providers

• Simon Blake – CEO, Mental Health First Aid England
• Julie Bentley – CEO, Action for Children
• Kayleigh Wainwright – Head of Engagement and Advocacy, UK Youth
• Tom Madders – Campaigns Director, Young Minds
• Nick Harrop – Head of Media & Influencing, Young Minds
• Charlotte Watson – Policy & Parliamentary Officer, Young Minds
• Sagar Sharma – Director of Policy & Communications, Barnardos
• Lydia Allen – Youth Work Specialist, National Youth Agency
• Resham Kotecha – Head of Engagement, Women 2 Win

Unions and Associations

• Ros McNeil – Assistant General Secretary, National Education Union
• Jonathan Blay – Public Affairs Manager, Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Fiona Moss – Executive Officer, National Association of Teachers of RE
• Juliet Lyal – Local Groups Officer, National Association of Teachers of RE
• Ruddy Eliott Lockhart – CEO, Religious Education Council of England & Wales

Candidates for election

• Suzy Stride – Labour parliamentary candidate for Harlow
• Julie Hilling – Labour parliamentary candidate for Bolton West