The Travellers programme: A way of supporting young people to manage their wellbeing

This article discusses some findings from recent studies on the mental health of young people. It then uses findings from an evaluation of Travellers—an early intervention programme for secondary school students (generally in Year 9) who are having difficulty coping with life events and transitions —to show how this programme can be used in a school setting to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Travellers aims to build young people’s resilience, confidence, self-esteem and feelings of connectedness. The programme is managed by Skylight and involves a series of group workshops for students run by two Travellers facilitators (usually the school guidance counsellor and one other staff member). In 2011 Skylight commissioned the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) to conduct an evaluation to explore the impact of Travellers on young people. The main source of data was a follow-up survey of 212 young people who mostly participated in the Travellers programme in Year 9. At the time of this study these young people were in Year 11 or 12.