Hi, I'm Illyssa Williams and I'm 15 and as you can see, on the 5th of October I will be swimming for Young Minds to help raise money for young people suffering with mental illnesses. I have chosen this as I too suffer from mental health and I want people to know they are not alone and that there are people out there that will support them and to show them it's perfectly normal to feel this way. Before I could swim I had a fear of water, I don't know why it just panicked me and I always thought I would drown, but thanks to the Youth Adventure Trust (YAT) and their mentoring scheme, I have learnt how to overcome this fear and now I love swimming! I have had one on one sessions with a professional from the Link Centre as well as my mentor, she was amazing in helping build my confidence in the water. I don't know how I can thank her, there's not enough words to thank her or the YAT, they help many young people with any problems, helping them get out and about, just taking their minds off of things. They were brilliant and made me the person today. I hope you, or someone you know realise how much help there is out there for you. Thank you for taking the time for reading this and take care of yourself.

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