Creating Mentally Healthy Schools. Empowering Young Lives.

Resilient Mind is a pioneering mental health programme designed to meet the urgent wellbeing needs of young people in Luton. Delivered by Chiltern Learning Trust and sponsored by Muslim Aid, the initiative focuses on building emotional resilience, supporting life skills, and creating safe, inclusive school cultures through a culturally sensitive lens.

With Luton facing high levels of youth mental health challenges, crime, and poverty, Resilient Mind responds with a school-based model tailored to the lived experiences of the local community.

Context 

  • 1 in 10 young people (ages 5–16) in Luton experience mental health challenges
  • Only 25% of those young people receive the support they need
  • 1 in 3 children in Luton live in poverty
  • Crime rates are among the highest in the region—89 crimes per 1,000 people

These factors create significant barriers to wellbeing. Resilient Mind steps in to break down those barriers and support young people where they are.

Programme Delivery

The programme is being implemented in two schools:

  • Chiltern High School for Girls (CHSG) 
  • Chiltern High School for Boys (CHSB)

Together, these schools serve over 2,200 students from diverse backgrounds. Learning and key outputs will also be shared amongst the Chiltern Learning Trust, across the 18 schools it manages.  

The programme is developed in close partnership with school staff, community organisations, and mental health professionals, ensuring it is holistic, culturally inclusive, and sustainable.

    Programme Objectives

    1. Raise Mental Health Awareness
    • Embed wellbeing into school culture
    • Increase understanding across students, parents, and educators
    • Share learnings with the wider education sector
    2. Develop Life Skills and Emotional Resilience
    • Equip students with tools for managing mental health
    • Promote emotional intelligence and confident decision-making

     

    3. Deliver Tailored Mental Health Support
    • Bespoke workshops and curriculum content
    • Staff training and safeguarding support
    4. Build a Mentally Healthy School Culture
    • Strengthen peer networks
    • Encourage whole-school engagement in wellbeing
    5. Expand Access to Specialist Services
    • Partner with specialist organisations and youth charities to provide bespoke workshops and co-informed support
    • Provide expert-led sessions on leadership, mental health, and project planning
    6. Ensure Cultural & Faith Sensitivity
    • Tackle stigma around mental health in diverse communities
    • Design support that reflects students’ lived identities

    How It Works

      Student & Expert Advisory Boards
      Young people and mental health professionals shape the programme design and delivery.

      Embedded Mental Health Curriculum
      Tailored, age-appropriate sessions become part of everyday school life.

      Youth-Led Initiatives
      Students are supported to lead their own mental health campaigns and peer-led activities.

      Impact Monitoring
      Ongoing evaluation ensures the programme responds to evolving needs.

      Our Vision for Impact

      • Greater mental health literacy across the school community
      • Stronger emotional resilience in students
      • Culturally inclusive, stigma-free mental health environments
      • Lasting systems of support embedded in schools

      Resilient Mind is more than a school programme—it’s a bold step towards systemic change in how we support young people’s mental health. By empowering students and schools through culturally competent, expert-led interventions, we are helping Luton’s youth thrive—now and into the future.