Jade Sutton, recovered from depression, an eating disorder and self-harm, now uses her story of building resilience to inspire primary school children across the UK.
Jade has ADHD and from the age of 9 struggled at school, academically, socially and with her own mental health. Between the ages of 11 and 13 she struggled with but overcame severe anxiety, depression and an eating disorder.
Jade’s powerful and uplifting story engages and inspires pupils with her messages centred around persistence, resilience, and acceptance of differences. Her assembly encourage students to reach out for help if they find themselves struggling, to see their current struggles as a chapter in a much longer story, to envisage a bright possible future and to pursue their goals as she did.
Jade’s work has been internationally recognised. She has been interviewed on the ITV News, featured in a BBC documentary about mental health, shortlisted for a National Diversity Award, in the category of ‘Positive Role Model for Young People’, won the BBC’s Make A Difference Award in the category of Volunteer, been featured in many newspapers and has been invited to be a keynote speaker at a United Nations endorsed, global conference on neurodiversity.
Reach For The Stars Assembly
The message and goals of this assembly is to inspire young people to:
~ Destigmatize mental health and make it easier to ask for help
~ See an inspiring future for themselves.
~ Be persistent and keep going as we have not failed until we give up on ourselves
~ Be resilient and understand that setbacks & disappointments are for learning and make us stronger
~ Accept, respect and celebrate our differences and our dreams.
Schools, teachers and pupils praise Jade as a role model and welcome the impact of her assemblies on pupils’ well-being and mindset.
CEO Mind Devon
“The work Jade is doing is playing a great role in both breaking down those stigmas around mental health and encouraging young people to talk about their issues. One in 10 of our young people will experience poor mental health, and it is so important to talk to them at primary-school age about emotions and feelings. Jade is the best role model there is, because these young people can identify with her”
Assistant Head Teacher
“I was absolutely blown away, not only by Jade’s wonderful message, but also how confident she was to stand up and talk to the children. She captivated our children instantly and all were very inspired by her message to be the best person they could be, no matter who they are, what they look like or what stands in their way. She is a very inspirational “
Deputy Head Teacher
“The assembly was fantastic and really helped us to think about how we can all achieve great things if we set our targets high and believe in ourselves. To hear first hand all about how you are pursuing your dreams -regardless of what obstacles might present themselves- was inspirational. You spoke with both purpose and passion and you have certainly touched the hearts and minds of us all…. “
Head of Key Stage 2
“Jade, you were a well-prepared and engaging speaker and I could tell that the children were enthralled with your story, You talked to 160 children from 4-11 years with the confidence of an adult. The message you gave them was very valuable. Thank you for sharing your dream and encouraging our children to follow their dreams…”
Reach For the Stars – Assembly Details
Student Age Range
We have two versions of this assembly to suit both primary and secondary school students (year 7 & 8)
Delivery – Currently Zoom only
The assembly presentation lasts 30 minutes and is currently delivered via Zoom or Teams whilst Jade is at university. Jade has presented to audiences as small as 8 and as large as 600 pupils.
Cost
£145 per assembly (for a school of 300 pupils, this is only £2 per pupil). We may also be able to work with your school to secure grant funding to cover the cost of the assembly.
A message of hope from Jade
There is so much confusion in the world we are growing up in, so much focus on ‘being what we think the world wants us to be’ – like clever, being this, popular, being sporty… etc. I hope that my assembly will help others see past these things and be brave to follow their own unique dreams whatever they may be
