A Young Enterprise company set up in a Borders secondary school has launched a mental health book for teenagers and young people that is flying off the shelves.
Young Enterprise Competition Showcases Local Talent
The group was one of several set up by local schools as part of the Young Enterprise Scotland competition run annually across the country. Four teams made it through to the Borders finals – two representing Earlston High School, and one each from Galashiels Academy and Berwickshire High School.
All teams produced excellent products. The Galashiels team (Memribelia) created nostalgic memorabilia celebrating the old Galashiels Academy, while one Earlston team (ReSipp) developed a personalised collapsible coffee cup that has proven popular with Scottish Borders Council, school and NHS Borders staff. Meanwhile, the Berwickshire team (The Colour Collective) designed a high-quality colouring book featuring artwork from local artists.
However, the second Earlston team of Amy, Kyle and Kaitlyn, trading as Your Local Friend, have been crowned the Borders winners after a stiff judging process of written reports, presentations, ‘Dragons Den’ grilling and interviews, supported by the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce, and their product is now in huge demand.
Judges Praise Passion and Teamwork
Roz Haughey, Engagement Manager at Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce and one of the judges, said:
“As a judge for this year’s Young Enterprise Borders competition, I was really impressed by the standard across all teams.
Your Local Friend stood out for their genuine, emotional connection to their idea, along with a confident and well-structured presentation. They showed a strong understanding of their business, worked brilliantly as a team, and responded with real insight and authenticity making them very deserving winners, as well as recipients of the Community Impact and Best Interview awards.
There was also very strong competition from The Colour Collective, ReSipp and Memribelia, who all demonstrated creativity, passion and real potential.”
A Book Created by Teenagers, for Teenagers
One of the Your Local Friend directors, Amy, told us: “We’re absolutely delighted with what we’ve done and it’s amazing to see it do well.
“Basically, we wanted to address one of the big concerns among teenagers right now which is mental health, and we looked at what we could produce that would actually be wanted and used and would help people."
“We did research and many people want help and alternatives to being on the phone or screens all day. That is what we’ve tried to provide, a book that people can carry with them that fills them with positive thoughts instead of the negative, and what's going wrong."
“We want them to think about how they can positively change and affect what is happening in their time.”
Kyle added: “The mental health books for teenagers or children that we researched are written by adults for children, and most tend to take a negative view of mental health and ‘treating’ it.
“This is a book produced by teenagers for teenagers which focuses on the positive aspects of mental health, and what we can do to help ourselves. That's the key difference and why I think young people want it.”
The superbly designed book is full of guidance on sleep patterns, breathing, healthy eating and nutrition, as well as revision tips, the positive and negatives of social media, and colouring-in challenges. It also includes quotes from celebrities, including Jesy Nelson, Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes, which the students say they found inspiring.
It has proven so popular that businesses have stepped in to cover costs and ensure it can be supplied free of charge to all nine secondary schools in the region, and has even reached Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury, which appeared in the TV programme Educating Yorkshire, one of several schools outside the region to request copies.
Expanding Reach Through Licensing
With support from their mentor and local businesswoman Moira Wilson, they have now agreed to sell licences to allow schools to print the books off rather than wait for a reprint.
Mrs Wilson said: “The demand has been great, and the students deserve all the praise they are getting because they put so much thought into this, and it’s a great business idea.
“The licences also mean that the book has a much longer life because young people in years to come can get involved in updating the book and keeping it relevant.”
The team will now represent the Borders in the Young Enterprise Scotland Finals at Hampden Stadium in Glasgow on May 27.
How to Support the Initiative
Any businesses who would like to help enable Your Local Friend to get into the hands of more young people should contact Moira at: moira@moirarecruitment.com
