Somerset Member of Youth Parliament Ellie Bealing has been busy working on her campaign – Young People Strong, Healthy Lives – over the summer. She has been contacting organisations who might be able to help with her campaign as well as doing some research into services available to young people. Below is Ellie’s update on her progress.

In order to get some insight from local organisations and individuals in Somerset, I have been drafting emails to ask for meetings with those who I feel could help my campaign.

One of the respondents was Somerset and Wessex Eating Disorders Association, and I look forward to visiting their Shepton Mallet office later this month to learn more about the work that they are doing in our county.

In order to prepare for this, I have been undertaking some research into early intervention and family support, which can often be a forgotten side when it comes to mental and physical struggles. In this I discovered the resource First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED), which I would like to talk about in this update.

The FREED website provides helpful guides on a range of topics – one of which being Ramadan. Amid the recent riots, the divisions between religions and races has been deeply shameful, but I am glad to see that special considerations have been taken to tackle the potential of fasting to trigger unhealthy behaviours around eating. I would definitely recommend taking a look at the website, and using the tips it provides as a useful background to potentially help friends or family in need, as well as ourselves personally.

In my upcoming meeting with Somerset and Wessex Eating Disorders Association, I am looking to delve into the wider links of disordered ideas towards food, as the more I look into this topic, the clearer it becomes that the events around us often directly impact our wellbeing. From gender to wealth to support systems, these can all play a role in our mental health, and so I hope my campaign can begin to open the doors to achieving early and consistent help, with the use of available guides and consultation with professionals around this topic.

Ellie

FREED is First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorder and is designed to give young people rapid access to specialised evidence-based treatment and support tailored to their needs. For more information, visit First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders website.