Focus on mental health awareness in January
In January we are focusing on mental health and wellbeing, and how our voyages create an environment for improvement.
Joining a voyage takes young people away from the stresses and strains of their everyday lives. We achieve improvements in mental wellbeing in a number of ways. For example, being on the water and surrounded by nature and wildlife can have a huge impact on a person’s wellbeing. Going off grid from social media and technology, living and working closely with people in similar situations, and the benefit of having a ship’s routine also have a profound impact.
Nathan from a homeless charity joined us for a voyage on board Duet in October 2022. “We had the chance to visit Horsey Island seal colony on an inflatable rib. I loved the fact I was allowed to drive the rib on the way back. This experience was transformative, restorative, and simply out of this world,” he says. His leader added: “We sailed from Gosport to Ipswich, over seven days, braving stormy seas with 2m waves, facing situations out of our comfort zones, which enabled our clients to apply untapped skills and personal resources they may never have realised they possessed without the opportunity afforded to them.” She noted a complete change in perspective from arrival to departure.
Many of the participants who took part in our DofE Gold Residentials in 2022 benefited from our voyages. One said the voyage provided them with the opportunity to do something so far removed from their comfort zone. “The fact that I couldn’t just run away when things got tough.”
Another DofE participant recognised how a voyage helped with her anxiety disorder: “The first day it was my group’s turn to do dinner; the food didn’t go quite as I intended it to and, whilst that hiccup might seem small to most, a few months ago a failure such as that would have sent me into a downward spiral that lasted for days if not weeks, but on Duet I didn’t have the option of having a breakdown so I had to make myself cope which proved to me that I was capable of dealing with small setbacks which I would not have believed without proof. Not only has the voyage been a lot of fun and educational, it has also provided me with an accurate and up-to-date measure of the progression I have made on my recovery.”
We are also continuing our work with early intervention in psychosis (EIP) groups, taking part in a circumnavigation of the British coast over 10 weeks in 2023.
Kate, one of the EIP service users who sailed with us in September 2022, said the sailing voyage “was a good experience, especially for a group of people who have all been affected by mental health in different ways.” When asked about her experience at sea, Gemma said it was “relaxing, always reassured, accepted and looked out. Unjudged but understood well.”
The money donated to our 40th anniversary campaign helps to subsidise the cost of a voyage enabling a young person to benefit from an experience away from the stresses and pressures of home. To donate, please visit: www.justgiving.com/campaign/cirdan40thanniversary