Man United’s Juan Mata Inspires Fan | 250,000 Kids In Need Of Support | Model Ensures Photos Go Untouched – Legends Report
By Jatinder Singh, Associate Partner & Mentorship Coach, Lighthouse International
Manchester United player Juan Mata has made a massive difference to disabled supporter Alex Nield and his father Jon, by having a photo taken with Alex. Mr Mata had been playing a game and Alex and his father were waiting outside to see some of the players as they got on the team bus. Mr Mata saw Alex and went to have a photo taken with him on his own accord and even arranged for both of them to have tickets for another match! He kept the team bus waiting in process 🙂 Alex’s father Jon said:
“He’s [Alex] absolutely made up – he probably thinks he’s best mates with him [Juan Mata]! He was so, so happy, you could see the delight in his face.”
While it may have been a simple thing for Juan Mata to do, it shows a genuine extension by him and an awareness of how simple acts can make such a difference to people, especially when they are fans. Genuine legends know they have a responsibility to act in accordance with the moral authority given to them by others, and to take this responsibility seriously. To see what happened watch the video below. To read more on this story, click here…
250,000 Kids In Need of Mental Health Support
By Asif Valiji, Mentorship Coach, Lighthouse International
In a recent series of reports about the degrading state of the mental of health of under 18’s in the UK, it’s been reported that there are a quarter of a million young people receiving help from the National Health Service. Mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders are being diagnosed at an increasing rate. An alarming 65,000 are under 11’s and a saddening 11,849 boys and girls were under 5’s. Here is some feedback from patients and those involved in working with them:
Azia, 17, West Yorkshire:
“I went to see my GP in 2014 about anxiety and depression. I had been feeling hopeless and helpless, tearful, with no motivation or interest in doing anything…”
Tracey Lawrence, 31, assistant Head Teacher, Leicestershire:
“Mental health is everybody’s business. The government needs to invest more so that we, as classroom teachers, receive proper training to deal with these issues and have the support in place when exploring the best way to move forward with a child.”
Anonymous, 24:
“I went to see my GP at the age of 12 because of depression due to bullying. I didn’t know what to do and, when I went to see them, my parents didn’t know what to do. My school was terrible, really unhelpful. My doctor explained that there was a long waiting list to be seen and it was during this wait that I tried to kill myself. In fact, one of the only negatives of my experience was the long waiting time to get help. I understand it’s even worse now, which is worrying.”
These accounts are both deeply concerning and daunting. They are a reflection of what is actually happening to our young people. It begs the question – whose responsibility is it to improve and develop the mental health of our young people? Ultimately it’s everybody’s. We all need to be willing to look at ourselves and be counted as part of the solution. When we leave problems for someone else to solve, they rarely are! To read more on this story click here… To read more feedback from those affected click here…
By Kris Deichler, Associate Partner & Mentorship Coach, Lighthouse International
As the above article highlights, there are more and more mental health risks being faced by young people due to the pressures of a more image conscious, social-media-driven society, especially young women. So it’s encouraging to read about plus size model, Iskra Lawrence, who is speaking out about her photos being photoshopped and insisting for them to be unaltered. Images of her that had been published in a magazine were so retouched by the publishers that her own family couldn’t even recognise her! As a result of her protests, Ms Lawrence has been signed to an untouched campaign for lingerie brand Aerie. Speaking on the campaign, the British model has said:
“To see those pictures on a Times Square billboard and they were completely un-retouched, I just was like, ‘Wow. I finally feel good enough!’ It was just such a moment for me, that’s why it really makes me emotional and really means so much to me, because for so long I struggled with myself.”
Iskra Lawrence’s story is about so much more than the media, it is about the fact that she’s standing as a role-model for so many young girls and women who relate to her and the pressures our culture is creating. In the light of the recent reports on mental health for young women, Ms Lawrence and more women like her play a very important role in helping inspire positive change. When we stand up for ourselves and value who we are, we encourage those like us to appreciate and believe in themselves more too. Read more on this here…