Mental Health Innovations and The Mix come together to supercharge digital mental health support for young people 

by Tom Pinks (he/him)

Senior Content and Communications Manager

Wednesday 14th August 2024

We are pleased to announce that youth charity The Mix is merging with charity Mental Health Innovations (MHI) to strengthen their early intervention offer for young people. The Mix will sit alongside MHI’s text messaging support service Shout to provide a new ecosystem of free, 24/7 mental health support reaching millions more young people struggling with their wellbeing. 

The merger is an important step towards Mental Health Innovations’ mission to improve the mental health of the UK population through the power of digital services, data and clinical expertise. We are delighted to be able to expand the reach of support we can give to people across the UK, particularly young people who may be seeking support for the first time or struggle to access traditional services.  

Mental Health Innovations was set up in 2017 with a grant from the Royal Foundation and launched the Shout text messaging support service a year later. Shout has to date taken more than 2.5 million conversations with 830 thousand children, young people and adults who have been struggling to cope. The service operates 24/7 and is free, confidential and anonymous.  

The Mix is a digital charity for young people aged under 25s. They have partnered with Mental Health Innovations since Shout’s launch in 2018, providing free advice, information and support to over five million young people online each year. The Mix delivers their services with the help of experts and more than 1,000 young people in co-design, volunteering and governance roles. 

Victoria Hornby OBE, CEO of Mental Health Innovations said: “Bringing The Mix together with Mental Health Innovations, alongside our Shout text messaging support service, will hugely strengthen our offer for the nation’s young people. The merger of our charities will mean that we will be able to improve the mental wellbeing of millions of young people through a broader digital offering encompassing an ecosystem of support and empowerment. Our brilliant volunteer and peer communities will be at the heart of service delivery, underpinned by data insights, cutting edge technology and clinical expertise.” 

Chris Martin, CEO of The Mix said: “The union of The Mix and Mental Health Innovations is an incredible opportunity to bring together the UK’s two leading digital charities to drive earlier intervention for young people’s mental health. Our combined team of amazing practitioners hold unique skills in youth participation and engagement, clinical expertise, volunteering, digital development and data science. We will build these elements into The Mix’s work, in order to deliver new interventions with young people at their heart. We believe that this new partnership will create transformational change now and in the future.” 

MHI’s pathway for young people will expand to focus on early intervention through an online support community, discussion boards and online resources, as well as offering more volunteering opportunities that enable young people to directly contribute to supporting their peers. MHI also plans to develop a series of exciting new products including self-paced learning modules, single-session counselling interventions, growth of the chatbot offering and peer led 121 interventions. These will be co-created with our community of young people.  

62% of Shout texters are aged under 25 and the merger will greatly strengthen MHI’s offering for this demographic. Shout will continue to offer its free, 24/7 text message service to audiences of all ages who need ‘in the moment’ support with their mental health. 

Media contacts 

For further information or to request a spokesperson interview, please contact Clare Bolton, Director of Marketing and Communications [email protected] 07812 542314.  

About us 

Mental Health Innovations is a charity using digital innovation, data-driven analysis and the experience of clinical experts to improve the mental health of the UK population. Mental Health Innovations was founded in November 2017, with the support of the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. LinkedIn  

Shout is the UK’s only 24/7 text messaging support service, powered by Mental Health Innovations. Anyone in the UK can text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 for free, 24/7 mental health support. Since launch in 2018, Shout has taken 2.5 million conversations with 830k children, young people and adults who are struggling to cope.  Instagram    Facebook    Twitter/X    TikTok     

The Mix is the UK’s digital safety net for young people. We provide free, anonymous advice and crisis support designed especially for under 25s. Open 24 hours a day, The Mix listens, answers questions and makes connections for young people using the digital and mobile platforms that they turn to first. The Mix are unique in talking about everything in young people’s lives from budgeting to housing to relationships with a focus on supporting positive mental health.