Barnardo's teams up with UK rappers to highlight Covid-19 mental health helpline

ON the occasion of World Music Day, Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, has teamed up with several leading UK rappers and poets to raise awareness of its Boloh helpline - a Covid-19 helpline service specifically for black, Asian and ethnic minority young people and their families.

The artists will mark the day by reflecting on the past year and share their experiences of the pandemic, on what has been a turbulent 15 months since the first national lockdown.

As part of the campaign, artists will share a piece of spoken word or rap on their social media platforms about their personal mental health experiences during the pandemic, to encourage their followers to seek help if they need it.

Rappers participating will include the 2021 Voice contestant Jason Hayles, Sheffield’s poet laureate Otis Mensah, the acclaimed UK rapper Lemzi, wordsmith TrueMendous, spoken word artist Terrell Lewis and the renowned south Asian rappers Premz and Hyphen.

Over the past year, due to the pandemic the mental health of young people have been impacted due to stress and anxiety. Especially people from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Recent study reveals black people are four times more likely to die of the virus compared to their white counterparts, and economic factors adding up to the existing inequalities.

However, one of the ways young people have been able to express and cope is through music, poetry and spoken word, and using it as a form to connect or escaping from the real-life situations.

Leethen Bartholomew, head of the Boloh helpline at Barnardo’s, said: "Music, rap and poetry are all tools which children and young people sometimes use to express and manage their grief and trauma.

“At Barnardo’s we hope that through the support of these inspirational artists, more young people will be empowered to talk openly about their mental well-being, and reach out for help when they need it.

“The Boloh helpline was created because of the problems faced by children, young people and their families who have been affected by the pandemic and lockdowns. As we look ahead, we want to ensure young people from all communities have the right support available to help them cope with their mental health.”

Barnardo’s ‘Boloh’ helpline is a bespoke service supporting black and Asian minority children, young people and their families. It is available for young people to access if they are struggling because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The service also provides therapeutic support, a live web chat facility, and a lifeline to communities dealing with issues such as isolation, stress, uncertainty about the future, sickness and bereavement, rising hate crime and loss of support services, and existing inequalities such as poverty, overcrowded housing and physical and mental health problems.

For more information on Boloh visit here.