Inspiring Edinburgh teenager raising mental health awareness after losing peers

An Edinburgh teenager takes part in a charity walk with his grandfather after seeing several colleagues lose their lives by suicide.

Max Smith, 13, will take part in the charity walk at the pentland next weekend with his grandfather George Higgins of Port Seton.

The school boy, who grew up in the Saughton area of ​​the city, moved to West Lothian but still stays in Edinburgh every fortnight.

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Growing up, she has seen the impact of teens struggling with their mental health and urges others to be kind and reach out if things are hard for them.

Tragically, 13-year-old Devin Gordon, also from West Lothian, took his own life earlier this year, breaking Max’s heart and leaving the community devastated.

Now the youngster wants to do whatever he can to raise money for YoungMinds, a youth mental health charity, and take part in a charity walk dedicated to Devin.

speaking to edinburgh live he said: “I grew up in the Saughton area but now live in Armadale, although I still stay in Saughton every fortnight with my dad.

“The cause is important to me because I felt like there isn’t enough awareness around charities like Young Minds and maybe if there was more awareness, teens wouldn’t feel so lonely sometimes and would have people to talk to who could help.

“Heard about the boys, Devin Gordon, 13, from Bathgate, and Drayke Hardman, 12, from the USA.

“Although I didn’t know the children personally, hearing the story of what they had to go through was heartbreaking and I really wanted to do something to prevent this from happening again.”

The inspiring young man spoke about how difficult it was to watch someone his age take their own life, unable to get the help they needed.

He said, “I identify with them because I’m 13 and about the same age. They had their whole lives ahead of them.”

“It’s a shame and very sad, I wish people would be kind.

“I can only try and maybe make a difference, however small, to raise awareness for YoungMinds and some money for the charity.”

Max will take on the challenge next weekend, he said: “Originally I was doing the walk with my grandfather as we are very close and he is really into walking, often walking the Pentland Hills and has even been to base camp of Mount Everest. .

“He was in the army and he’s fit, so he was the person I knew could help me walk.

“It was my grandfather who suggested we walk the Pentland Hills, now my mom, my step-dad, my grandfather, my grandmother and also some of my grandfather’s friends are joining us.

“I’m looking forward to doing the walk and doing it in honor of Devin & Drayke and any other teens who suffer.”

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It’s not easy being a teenager and it can be a difficult time with many stressful situations, the 13-year-old explained that it’s important to take care of your mental health by taking time to do something you enjoy and have something to talk about.

He said, “As a teenager, I myself have my ups and downs just like any other teenager. My advice that I follow would be to do something that I love, like playing football and listening to music.”

but most importantly talking to a trusted adult. If you’re having a bad day, remember that you’re always loved and that there are places like YoungMinds to support you.

Finally, Max added, “I hope I can bring awareness to teen mental health and much needed funding and a reminder to everyone to be kind.”

You can read more about the charity walk and the young teen’s donation. here.

You can seek help by contacting Samaritans 24/7 free on 116 123 or by visiting samaritans.org.