Worthing mental health advocate wins prestigious international award

Tanya Marwaha, a trustee at West Sussex Mind – who started an online support community for people suffering with their mental health during the pandemic – has been recognised with a place on the roll of honour of this year’s Diana Award.

Tanya, 21, set up Championing Youth Minds, a mental health community for young people, while studying at university. This was at a time when she and her fellow students were struggling with mental health challenges brought about by the emergence of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns.

On receiving the award, Tanya said: “It’s something I just didn’t expect. I was absolutely ecstatic. I mean, none of the work I’ve done has been for an outcome other than supporting at least one young person with their mental health journey.

"To be recognised it for and to receive such a prestigious award is… I don’t even have the words to explain.”

While working towards her degree, Tanya set out to help her peers by drawing upon her own lived experience, which includes living with physical disabilities. What started as a series of empowering and informative Instagram posts grew organically into a support network that has connected over 800 young people globally.

The community now offers free resources, workshops and a podcast to promote well- being. It’s both a safe space for young people and a platform for them to share their experiences to help others.

Prior to going to university, Tanya had received mental health support locally from Worthing-based mental health charity, West Sussex Mind. She began volunteering for the charity by taking part in awareness campaigns, such as the award-winning Open Minds campaign, and last year she became a trustee of the charity.

Open Minds won a national Mind excellence award in 2020 for raising awareness in the community and combating stigma and discrimination around mental health.

A colleague at West Sussex Mind nominated her for the Diana Award for her work as an advocate for youth mental health. This award was established in 1999 in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world. In addition to

the award, recipients will receive training and opportunities to help them further increase their capacity to pursue their cause.

“I think this award will definitely enable me to take Championing Youth Minds to the next level,” Tanya said. “It’s such a driving force for me to continue to do the work that I’m doing and to continue to use my voice in a positive way.

"Hopefully it can encourage other young people to take action and to trust that we can make change – that we are change-makers. There’s so many young people that I’ve worked with and I’ve always said to them: just believe in yourself. You can make a difference and you will make a

difference.”

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