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Our Story
mdeducational foundation was set up by a passionate philanthropist, Miriam Dervan, who started our journey towards a world in which every student has access to the wellbeing support they need, without delay
How it all started
mdeducational foundation began when our philanthropist Founder & CEO, Miriam Dervan (Founder and CEO of mdgroup), recognised the growing challenges within the education sector, particularly the lack of mental health and wellbeing support for students aged 16-18 years old. She became extremely passionate about changing the script for today’s young people. She focused on giving back to the local community by developing the provision of early intervention support for 16-18-year-olds – providing much-needed support for young people’s wellbeing needs through education and beyond.
Recognising the struggles faced by educational establishments, especially in supporting those nearing adulthood, she established mdeducational foundation. Armed with industry connections and research, mdeducational foundation provided salary funding to its first school, enabling the hiring of a Wellbeing Lead for a dedicated post-16 Wellbeing Hub. After just one year within the pilot school, the scheme’s success was evident, and mdeducational foundation made a commitment to expand its reach across other parts of the UK, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
To date, mdeducational foundation and its team of staff and Wellbeing Leads have been integral to many wellbeing interventions. From providing immediate support without wait times to enabling a proactive and constant point of contact for those in need, we continue to do all we can to improve the lives of 16-18-year-olds across the UK and Ireland.
We know we are still on our journey and will continue to compassionately build upon all aspects of our work. We also endeavour to develop a longer term sustainable strategy to prioritise student wellbeing through guidance and early intervention which ultimately not only impacts directly with the students but with the whole school and communities.
I know what a difference external mental health support could have made to me. I suffered a lot from anxiety at school, which in hindsight made it very difficult for me to learn. Things my classmates would pick up quickly would take me twice as long. From the age of 4 to eighteen, I was always in the bottom class – ‘D’ – which I believed stood for ‘Dunces’. I found it upsetting and frustrating, but I also felt that I couldn’t vocalise it to my mother as I just didn’t have the words to know what to say.
When I look back at my school years, I know that if someone objective would have noticed me, talked to me, and given me techniques to deal with my anxiety, it would have set me on a brighter path- as it was, mental health was not a “thing”. In today’s schools, mental health is mercifully much higher up the agenda. But schools are under-resourced, and teachers are overstretched. Any government funding and grants towards mental health don’t go nearly far enough and are often swallowed up into the school system.
This is why we created mdeducational foundation. We wanted to provide funding to schools that directly impacts young people. It is my absolute passion. We are seeing a generation of young people coming out of the pandemic with more mental health challenges than ever, who need support now. We are delighted to be on this journey to brighten those futures in any way we can.”
– Miriam Dervan, Founder & CEO at mdeducational foundation
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At mdeducational foundation, your support helps us open more doors and change futures. Whether you choose to donate, fundraise, or partner with us, your support will make a real, lasting impact on young people’s lives.
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Get in touch with us
info@mdeducationalfoundation.org
+44 (0) 7773 334 104