Young Men
Can't Wait...
Every young person deserves the chance to lead a full, healthy, happy life without the worry about "what will I do if...". At present, suicide is the number 1 killer of men under the age of 40 and a leading cause of death for Children and Young People. Young males are 3x more likely to carry out suicide compared to their female peers and 46.8% of adolescent males struggling with mental health disorders, reported attempting suicide or self-harming.
They're waiting for support. They're waiting for somebody to ask "how can I help?". They're waiting for somebody to take their needs seriously.
Nothing is there for them - the waiting lists are too long (up to 12 months for an initial appointment), the services are inadequate, they don't know how to get help... and when they finally reach out? They get told "we have no appointments right now, we'll be in touch".
That is where we step in.
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The Mental Shift CIC was set up in November 2022, aiming to provide all-in-one inclusive support for males age 12 to 25. Following the suicide attempt of our founder - Kai Leighton - he began training Muay Thai at Northern Kings Gym. After a year of training, and a couple months before his debut fight, Kai decided to use the benefits he got from Muay Thai to support other young lads who are in the same position be once was.
2 years later, here we are...
About The Mental Shift CIC
TMS is all about helping young lads with their mental health through physical activity and combat sports which isn’t done enough and I think what they are doing is amazing
RHYS LAWRENCE
TMS AMBASSADOR
Our 12-week Muay Thai Program uses the benefit of physical activity and exercise to provide immense benefits to young men across Newcastle Upon Tyne. Not only do lads gain physical and mental benefits, but they also get to join a massive, supportive community.
12-week Muay Thai Program
Our educational mental health workshops are offered to schools, colleges, and alternative provisions across Newcastle. These encompass all the main areas of mens mental health into one, active, engaging conversation.
Mental Health Workshops
Our 1-2-1 Peer Mentoring Sessions are tailored to the individuals needs and wants, covering topics and issues relevant to them. The sessions are led by other young males with their own lived experience of the issues they are discussing.
1-2-1 Peer Mentoring Sessions
Our Services
Meet Lewis...
Meet Lewis, one of our first ever service users who was a part of our 'Lives, Not Knives' program funded by the Northumbria Police Crime Commissioner. When Lewis started working with us, he started going down the wrong path and was getting into trouble regularly - after just 1-month, Lewis made a drastic change and began changing his life around for the better. After the full 3-month program, Lewis was a completely different lad and has purpose and desire in his life. We worked with Lewis for 9-months in total and we are so happy to be able to help him through the benefits of Muay Thai.