Pompey in the Community hosted the local heat of the Premier League Inspires Challenge in February, bringing together young people from across the city to share inspiring ideas focused on mental health and wellbeing.
As part of the charity’s secondary school programme Premier League Inspires, students from St Edmunds Catholic School, Portchester Community School and Ark Charter Academy took part in the event, pitching their social action projects to a panel of industry experts. This year’s challenge theme centered on mental health and wellbeing, encouraging students to identify key issues within their schools and communities and develop creative solutions to address them.
The judging panel featured professionals from across the mental health and wellbeing sector, including Lucy Hart from Alba Consultancy, Zoe Monk from the University of Portsmouth, and Ally Knell from Portsmouth Football Club. Each group delivered thoughtful and passionate presentations, showcasing the hard work they have put into designing projects aimed at making a positive difference.
In total, nine groups presented their ideas, all aligned with this year’s theme. The winning group from Ark Charter Academy (John, Vinnie, Adam, Eli, and Lennon), will now go on to represent Pompey in the Community at the national celebration event, set to take place at Everton FC’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium later in 2026.
Importantly, the journey does not end there for the remaining eight groups. Pompey in the Community will continue to work closely with them to help bring their social action projects to life, ensuring their ideas have a lasting impact within their local communities. This ongoing support has been further strengthened thanks to generous donations of resources from the University of Portsmouth and Albany Consultancy.
“The creativity, passion and maturity shown by all nine groups was outstanding. It’s inspiring to see young people leading the conversation around mental health and wellbeing in their schools and communities. We’re incredibly proud of every student who took part and look forward to supporting them as they turn their ideas into meaningful action.” Taylor Monk, Head of Schools at Pompey in the Community.
“What stood out most to me was the strength of youth voice in every presentation. The winning team were exceptional, but so too were the other teams. Their ideas were thoughtful, well-researched and driven by genuine passion to make a difference. I wanted to ensure that their hard work and potential impact did not end with the judging panel. It is incredibly encouraging to see mental health and wellbeing being discussed so openly among young people. There is a clear cultural shift happening, with stigma reducing and confidence growing. Supporting these projects feels like investing in that positive change.” Lucy – Alba Consultancy.
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