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- she/her Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix (And-REE-uh SPEN-doh-lee-nee SEE-ree-ex)

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix is a leading diver for Great Britain, and an Olympic, World and European medallist. She uses her platform to raise awareness of the pressures young people face and encourage open conversations about mental health and self-worth.

Why have you chosen to support YoungMinds?

Because I love how their focus is on the young people. I know too well how difficult it can be juggling all the pressures of school, training, competing, growing up and all the things you can’t understand and feeling extremely overwhelmed. With the pressure of social media now added into the equation, I want young people to know that their worth isn’t in the things they achieve, but the people they are and are becoming will greatly help their mental health.

YoungMinds Missing The Mark campaign is something I’m particularly passionate about - students and young people have such an incredible amount of pressure in the school environment and I don’t think it’s right. Their value, importance and the direction of their future is all put on how well they’ll succeed or how badly they’ll fail their exams and there isn’t an individual tailoring to how they learn. Not everyone is the same, and I’m not calling for special treatment, but to explore how best we can keep the young minds of our generation engaged and excited to learn. Knowledge is power, but if we scare the young people - who our the future of our country, society and world - then it could be catastrophic.

We celebrate what makes you, you. What three words describes you best?

  • Passionate

  • Determined

  • Peculiar

  • Which of our YoungMinds values do you relate to the most and why?

    We celebrate what makes you, you. In a world that wants to put you in a box or label you so they can understand you, be proud of WHO you are, surround yourself with people that allow you to be yourself without judgement.

  • What advice would you give to your younger self?

    Don’t allow other people’s opinions on your or your situation to become your voice. Don’t give the negativity so much importance. Being perfect will never happen for you, so enjoy learning after a fall, creating new memories and living.

What do you do to switch off and take care of your mental health?

I love to read my bible, pray, spend time with family, become a coach potato. I also found that going on long walks and reducing the time I spend on my phone has greatly impacted my mental health. It really do be that phone sometimes. Also doing new things - exploring new places, taking pictures, learning new things and being a beginner again. There’s so much freedom when you learn - no expectation on performance or the outcome, just enjoying the journey of growing and getting better at something new.

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