Teen's mental health mission sparks national movement

Connor Warren talks about his journey

A teenager has found himself at the forefront of youth mental health campaigning after a chance conversation with friends in a North Devon café sparked a national movement. 

Connor Warren turned his frustrations into action and founded Spark UK, which is a youth, led charity reaches thousands across the country - at the age of just 14.

Over the past decade, the number of young people struggling with mental health issues has increased dramatically. According to NHS Digital data, in 2017, around one in nine children aged between five and 16 were likely to have a mental health disorder. But just six years and a global pandemic later, the figures surged to one in five.

Emergency hospital admissions for children following covid rose by nearly two-thirds. Behind those statistics are said to be thousands of young people claiming to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and often unheard.

The pressures on today’s youth are relentless: hours spent on social media, uncertainty about the future, academic stress, relationship struggles, constant comparison with influencers, and adjusting to a post-pandemic world. For many, the toll on mental health has been immense.

At the same time, support services are reportedly struggling to meet demand. Between 2023 and 2024, more than 78,000 young people waited more than a year to receive NHS mental health treatment. Some children say they feel invisible and unsupported by the systems meant to help them. However, the Government has pledged over £1 billion to children’s social care services in the Chancellor’s spending review. 

But in the mist of dark figures and many people suffering, Connor Warren decided not to give up but to take action.

After facing his own mental health battles, the now 19-year-old and a group of friends venting their frustrations about what they claimed the lack of relatable, accessible support for young people. Instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, they decided to do it themselves. 

Initially, Spark UK was little more than a side project. During the early days of the pandemic, the team launched a digital advent calendar full of daily self-care tips, cat videos, and anything that could lift spirits. But soon it became something much bigger.

Spark UK now develops resources for schools, runs campaigns, and creates safe spaces for young people to talk openly about mental health. The group has even attracted support from major figures including Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry and Dame Judi Dench.

Connor looks back at how the idea started: “We were joking about how, in an ideal world, celebrities would talk about mental health. There’d be resources made by young people, for young people. And then we just thought… why wait for an ideal world?”

He said: “I was 14 when we started, we were building campaigns on my sofa, eating pizza, with no clue if anyone would care. For months, it felt like we were shouting into the void.” That all changed in October 2021, when Spark UK received national media coverage on The One Show and other outlets. 

Connor recalled what that moment was like: “I was sat in my bedroom refreshing my inbox every 30 seconds. 

“Watching the emails pour in, I realised this is real… we’re actually making an impact!”

But the journey hasn’t been easy for the Devon teenager. Connor speaks about the emotional strain of leading a mental health charity while still dealing with his own struggles. “There’s a running joke in the charity world that we don’t always practise what we preach and it’s true. 

“I had to learn the hard way about setting boundaries, saying no, and looking after myself.”

The team are also building online communities for young people to connect, share, and support one another. 

He said: “It’s about normalising the conversation, showing that everyone has good days and bad days, and that’s okay.”

When asked why youth voices are so essential in the mental health space, Connor doesn’t hesitate: “Because no one else knows what it’s like, we’re the generation that’s grown up with AI, social media, lockdowns. All these pressures that shape our mental health in new ways and older generations haven’t experienced that.”

Connor is urging schools, families, and communities to “talk, you don’t have to be a mental health expert to care. Ask someone how they’re really doing and mean it. That small question can make a huge difference.”
“I’ve learned that saying no is sometimes the bravest thing you can do, but saying yes to change, that’s how movements begin.”

You can find the link to Spark UK here. 

Watch the video below on Connor's journey:

Listen to the full interview with Connor Warren