Professor Stella Chan’s Resilience Rucksacks initiative aims to equip young people with mental health tools to ease the difficult transition from primary to secondary school. The co-created wellbeing resources have reached over 1,200 students through school-based fairs, delivering measurable improvements in resilience and gaining attention from a national children’s charity.
The transition from primary to secondary school is hugely challenging for children, with biological and social shifts impacting lifestyles and relationships. And unsurprisingly, research shows a higher risk of mental health difficulties between ages 10-14.
Recognising that prevention is better than cure, the Resilience Rucksacks initiative – which was funded by charity partners including the Charlie Waller Trust, the Jasmine Foundation and private donors – equips young people with the skills to address mental health challenges before they arise. Inspired by Scotland’s Baby Boxes initiative, Professor Stella Chan and her team envisaged providing pre-teens with rucksacks containing wellbeing tools designed to ease everyday stressors typical for this age group.
A process of collaboration
Founded in effective evidence-based approaches to the prevention, management and treatment of depression and anxiety in adolescence, the research project came to life through a process of co-creation, ensuring it remained grounded in the lived experiences of its target audience.
The four wellbeing themes – Sleep, Movement, Friendship and Self-Compassion – emerged from direct survey input from 200 young people and a steering group of parents, teachers and mental health practitioners.
Between April and October 2023, the team conducted 19 workshops with young people and artists to create eight wellbeing tools promoting these themes, including a comic and song promoting healthy sleep practices; a fun kit to support physical activity; playing cards and friendship trees to foster friendship; and a journal for practicing self-compassion.
The team worked with Boys/Girls in Mind, an award-winning charity, to create a stop-motion animation film featuring a voice-over by young people.
Immediate impact
Rollout took place between March and July 2024, reaching over 1,200 Year 6 and 7 students through 30 “Resilience Fairs” held at eight schools across Reading, Wokingham, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Students built knowledge of the four wellbeing themes through fun activities and personalised their rucksacks with stickers of aspirational quotes, keyrings, bookmarks and origami sheets that signposted free mental health resources.
The fairs were a huge success – 96% of students reported enjoying them and spontaneous testimonials from teachers were unanimously positive. Evaluation data showed significant improvements in psychological resilience and wellbeing, skills in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and confidence, as well as reducing stigmatised views about mental health.
Critically, the gains were almost instant, with data showing above-chance-level changes within 48 hours and many still apparent up to 4 weeks later.
A wider legacy
The project garnered extensive media coverage, including a segment on CBBC Newsround specifically broadcast nationwide at the start of the school year to promote resilience during this vulnerable transitional period.
The Resilience Rucksack tools are now featured in Children in Need’s “Wellbeing Resource Hub”, extending their reach beyond the original participants.
In a collaboration with Edinburgh International Book Festival, the team co-curated a booklist for teenagers exploring resilience and wellbeing, as well as bespoke activities for school children on the festival’s annual Gala Day.
These initiatives demonstrate how the project has opened new avenues for creative mental health communication and support.
Find out more about Resilience Rucksacks by visiting the project website.
September 2025