January can feel like a long month, so it was wonderful to see so many of you getting involved in Brew Monday on the 19th. Whether you joined for a chat, a moment of pause, or simply for the brownies, we hope it brought a little lift to your week. If you have any thoughts or feedback about the event, we’d genuinely love to hear them.
The Wellbeing Team met recently, and there is plenty of positive momentum to share:
- A warm welcome to our newest member, Evie Boyes, Programme Co-ordinator at Fairthorne. It’s great to have you with us.
- Mental Health First Aid Training continues to grow, 25 colleagues are now trained and ready to support others.
- Wellbeing Boxes received a festive refresh before Christmas, and we’re already planning another top‑up for Spring.
- Awareness days and wellbeing events for the year ahead are now in planning, there is lots to look forward to.
- A dedicated wellbeing room at FM is in development, with hopes to support other branches in creating their own wellbeing spaces.
- Strengthening wellbeing awareness remains a priority. We’ll be attending the next Employee Voice meeting and continuing to keep managers updated.
Upcoming Awareness Week
Our next key date is Eating Disorders Awareness Week on 23rd February. You’ll find resources and support materials on the YMCA Wellbeing Hub, which is regularly updated with helpful information for staff.
New Reflective Practice Offer
We’re excited to share that a new Reflective Practice offer is being introduced across the charity. This will give teams the opportunity to take part in group reflective practice sessions, while managers will also have access to 1‑1 sessions. Some sessions will run regularly, while others may be arranged on an ad‑hoc basis where needed.
To ensure the offer is meaningful and well‑supported, we’ll begin with a pilot across two teams, one in Youth Services and one in Early Years, to build a strong case for wider rollout and to share success stories. Colleagues are currently working together to shape how this will be introduced across the charity and our Wellbeing Team will also play a key role in helping teams understand the value of reflective practice. Once launched, we hope to add Reflective Practice to our YMCA Wellbeing Hub as part of our growing suite of wellbeing resources.
As always, if you have ideas, suggestions, or would like to get involved in our wellbeing initiatives, please get in touch. Your voice helps shape what we do, and we’re always keen to hear from you.
The Wellbeing Team
