Overview

A model for culturally grounded school wellbeing

Value Every Mind was developed in response to a clear need:
Muslim young people are often navigating mental health challenges in systems that do not fully reflect their faith, identity, or lived experience.

This programme brings together:

• mental health education
• creative wellbeing practices
• community-led delivery

to build resilient, inclusive, and identity-affirming school environments.

Impact & Reach

What we delivered

Across the programme, Value Every Mind engaged:

• 1,483 students through assemblies and workshops
• 146 staff through training and engagement
• 51 parents through dedicated wellbeing sessions

Delivered across London, Bedfordshire, Birmingham and Manchester, the programme included:

• 16 whole-school assemblies
• 22 creative wellbeing workshops
• 5 parent sessions
• ongoing staff engagement and collaboration

This work demonstrates the impact of early intervention, culturally relevant practice, and whole-school approaches to wellbeing. Faith becomes a source of resilience, grounding and recovery, not something separate from wellbeing.

Creative Expression as Wellbeing

Creative practice opened new pathways into emotional expression.

Workshops included:

• Islamic geometry and mindfulness
• Arabic calligraphy
• Storytelling and creative writing
• Photography and visual expression
• Poetry and spoken word
• Henna art and identity work

These approaches supported:

• emotional regulation
• reflection and self-awareness
• confidence and communication

For many students, this created space for conversations that may not have happened otherwise.

A Whole-School, Community Approach

Supporting young people means supporting the ecosystem around them.

Value Every Mind engaged:

• students
• parents
• teachers
• community practitioners

This helped:

• normalise conversations around mental health
• reduce stigma
• build shared language and understanding

A Strengths-Based, Community-Led Model

The programme centred expertise from within Muslim communities.

By working with Muslim practitioners, creatives and wellbeing professionals, the programme:

• built trust and relatability
• provided visible role models
• strengthened community capacity

This approach recognises that meaningful inclusion comes from building with communities.

Why This Work Matters

Muslim children now make up a growing proportion of the UK school population, yet their experiences remain underrepresented in mental health provision.

Many young people are navigating:

• stigma around mental health
• anti-Muslim hate and discrimination
• pressure to suppress identity
• limited access to culturally relevant support

Value Every Mind demonstrates how faith-sensitive and culturally competent approaches can address these gaps and improve outcomes for young people.

Programme Outcomes

Through this work, Value Every Mind has:

• strengthened emotional literacy and self-awareness among students
• increased confidence in discussing mental health
• reduced stigma around help-seeking
• supported parents and staff in understanding young people’s needs
• embedded culturally relevant approaches into school wellbeing systems

Looking Ahead

Value Every Mind is part of a broader vision to embed faith equity in mental health systems.

Through the Muslim Mind Collaborative, this work is now evolving into:

• long-term capacity building for schools
• national collaboration across services
• community-led mental health infrastructure