Column: ‘Feeling heard is powerful’ – Centre 33 Chief Executive Beth Green

This column from our Chief Executive Officer Beth Green was originally published in the Cambridge Independent here.

Young people today have a lot to think about. They’re juggling worries about school, exams and friendships with the constant pressures of social media, the cost-of-living crisis, under-resourced services and global uncertainty.  

And it’s having an impact. Rates of mental health problems are rising in young people, and suicide remains the leading cause of death in young people aged 16 to 24.  

At Centre 33, we see how hard it can be. We support local young people with everything from caring for a loved one to housing problems and mental health. Last year, we helped 4,000 young people, including many dealing with anxiety, low mood, stress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

Part of our role is to create a safe, non-judgemental space for young people to talk through their feelings. Sometimes that might be normal emotions, rather than a mental health problem. Strong feelings can be a healthy response to a difficult situation, particularly during adolescence and young adulthood.  

We try to reassure young people that it’s okay to feel how they are, that their emotions will shift and things won’t always feel this hard.

But when those feelings become too much to manage alone, we’re here to listen, explore practical solutions and, if necessary, help them get the support they need.

Mental health challenges are always worrying, but our teams see first-hand the impact that being listened to has on young people. We watch how it transforms their outlook and enables them to change their lives. Feeling heard is powerful. We know that young people can get to a place where they feel better – and asking for support is the best first step.  

We’re proud of the young people who come through our doors. They find us in different ways (including via their schools, GPs and family members), but we find the most powerful route is when they decide they are ready to ask for help themselves.

It can be hard to make that first contact, but the Centre 33 team offers a warm welcome, whether they WhatsApp us, call us or drop into our Clarendon Street drop-in hub in Cambridge.

We’ve helped 50,000 young people since 1981 and we know support that’s easy to access and led by young people works. In their words: “The people at Centre 33 listened and took the time to go through every thought and word I said. They gave me the best help suitable for me, and I felt they helped me so much.”

But we know many more need our support. We’ve bought a new, bigger building in Cambridge, on the corner of Maids Causeway and James Street, to create a new support hub so that double the number of young people can get the help they need each year.

It needs refurbishment before we can open, and we’ve launched our Building Stronger Futures appeal to make that happen – but we can’t do it without you. Whatever its size, every donation helps, bringing us closer to opening our doors and giving more young people the chance to feel heard – and move towards a brighter future.

Find out more and join the appeal here.

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