Featured Image: The O2
Ahead of World Mental Health Day tomorrow (Tuesday), The O2 has unveiled new research that demonstrates the strong connection between music and live events, and improved mental health in young people.
The research was inspired by the London venue’s official charity partner YoungMinds, and revealed over 80% of respondents aged between 14-25 agreed that music (88%) and live events (83%) had a positive impact on their mood and wellbeing.
A fifth of young people also stated that the positive impact on their mental health was part of the reason they attended live events, and 27% cited that the enjoyment of being able to forget about everyday life was a further positive of attending live music performances.
The O2 also announced that it would be working to improve accessibility to live events for local young people in Greenwich, where the 20,000-capacity venue is based. From December 2023 and throughout next year, the venue has pledged to donate over 1,000 tickets to young people and their families alongside local charitable youth organisation YoungGreenwich.
Tickets will be available for a range of events at The O2 arena including music, comedy and sport.
Adam Pearson, commercial director at The O2, said: “When we announced YoungMinds as our official charity back in January, we knew that we wanted to use our position as a world-leading venue to drive real impact and change. This research highlights the undeniable link between live events and the positive impact they have on the mental health and wellbeing of young people, which presents us with a unique opportunity to really make a difference within our local community – something which has always been a huge priority for us.
“Working alongside the fantastic team at YoungGreenwich, we’re excited to be able to provide even more access to the best-in-class events that happen at The O2 arena over the next year.”
Michelle Kerrigan, head of relationship development at YoungMinds, added: “We are delighted to be chosen as the official charity partner of The O2 and welcome this research. We know that listening to music and live event have a hugely positive impact on young people’s mental health and this initiative means that 1,000 young people in Greenwich will have the opportunity to access events that they might otherwise not experience. We look forward to the venue’s continued support and to our future work together supporting young people’s mental health.”
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