Who is the YRU?

The Youth Resilience Unit (YRU) is funded by Barts Charity and commenced its work on 1 March 2021. Based at the Newham Centre for Mental Health (London, UK), we will collaborate with mental health services and organisations for young people in the community outside of health services.

The aim of the YRU

The overall aim of the unit is to study how young people use resources personal, social, and community resources to overcome mental distress. It will work closely with, but be separate from, the Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry.

The Development of Emotional Resilience (DEER) Study

The Development of Emotional Resilience (DEER) Study is a Barts Charity-funded project involving primary school children in Years 3 to 6. The DEER study investigates what helps children to develop resilience to “bounce back” from challenging events and thrive. In particular, it aims to understand why some children are more resilient to life’s ups and downs than others, and what factors and support systems can strengthen emotional resilience. Their findings will shed light on how schools, families and communities can help to support children when they go through difficult times, so they are better prepared for adolescence and young adulthood. 

The team has now successfully recruited 10 primary schools in East London and collected data from 849 pupils, aged 7-11 years old, as well as from their caregivers and teachers. The baseline data collection (T1) took place between November 2022 and November 2023. The first follow-up data collection (T2) began in February 2024 and is currently ongoing, with expected completion in November 2024.