Liverpool charity offers free mental health support for young people affected by LFC parade incident

A Liverpool charity set up to support young people’s mental health is offering free sessions to help those affected by the horrific LFC parade incident.

Be Free Campaign says it’s important for children who witnessed the scene during the LFC Parade in person or have seen footage to be able to talk about it and process their feelings.

Danika Leahey, operations manager for the charity, explains:

“It could be that a child or young person has been involved in something previously, maybe anxiety or bullying they’ve never really dealt with, and then seeing something traumatic puts them into a heightened state of anxiety and stress that they weren’t expecting to be in. 

“It could also be that they’ve seen what happened, either online or on social media or if they were actually there, and it’s really hard to make sense of it. They’re going to try and reason with it, and they can’t because it’s such an unreasonable thing.

“We’re being told, rightly so, not to speculate, but then young people are likely to ask more questions because they want answers. They’ve seen their streets where they go, people wearing the same red shirts they have at home, or they’ve seen it happen in front of them and they feel they need answers to understand it.

“Our job is to make sure people come to us and we can tell them they may not have answers and they need to be OK with that. They need to go through the tools we’ll show them, starting now, to be able to come to terms with this and stop themselves going into those symptoms of mental health.”

Danika says the circumstances of the incident, after what had been an incredible day for Reds supporters, could make it event more difficult for young people to deal with.

“They’ve been in a space where they’ve felt that rush and excitement, the happiness of the celebration, and that sense of community and togetherness, with the game beforehand, the build-up of the day and the parade,” she adds.

“Then something like this happens that’s so destructive and there are so many questions about why it would or could happen. It’s a really quick shift into such a negative space. 

“There’s also that sense of football being a protective space for a lot of children and young people, and right now that might feel like a threat and something they could attach a fear to. That is something we’re eager to show them how to negotiate around.”

Be Free Campaign, which is based in the Baltic Triangle, was founded by Dr Shantanu Kundu and launched as a charity in 2019.

Led by young people and focused on prevention and early intervention, its ethos is that no young person should wait for crisis before talking about their mental health and wellbeing.

Be Free Campaign uses art, culture, sense of self, connection and community to encourage children and young people to open up about their mental health, doing outreach sessions in schools and community spaces.

Danika says the first of the free sessions in response to the LFC parade incident will be held at BOXPARK in Cains Brewery on Wednesday May 28, from 2pm. Anyone aged 16 and older can self-register, younger children should have the consent of a parent, caregiver or guardian.

Sessions will last around 90 minutes and include reasoning and mindfulness techniques as well as breathing exercises to help prevent panic developing. There will also be tangible next steps to help those taking part feel happier and more secure in themselves. 

“It’s important to let children and young people know that it is OK not to feel OK about this,” says Danika. “We’ve had a refreshing amount of young boys who’ve already come forward because they are labelled the silent ones who often don’t ask for support.”

To register interest in attending a free session, with no need for referral, email: hello@befreecampaign.org 

Find out more about the Be Free Campaign here.

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