​Thousands of young people in Wales are in need of someone to talk to about the issues they face, as mysterious new video looks at who is on their side.

Thousands of young people in Wales are in need of someone to talk to about the issues they face, as mysterious new video looks at who is on their side.

New figures released by Meic – the helpline for children and young people in Wales – have revealed that thousands of young people every year in Wales are in need of someone to talk to about the issues they face.

With issues ranging from sexual health to relationships within the family, Meic's statistics show that almost 40,000 young people in Wales have contacted the helpline since it began in 2011 – and, as the Head of Meic, Stephanie Hoffman explains, that might just be the tip of the iceberg:

“There has been a significant increase of over 45% in young people contacting Meic this quarter compared to the previous. Whilst this is, in part, due to recent marketing, it shows there are still thousands of young people out there looking for someone to talk to.”

Meic has just released a challenging and mysterious new video exploring who young people in Wales can talk to and features many of the issues young people in Wales often want to speak out about.

The video's Director, Dayana Del Puerto says, “I wanted to tell young people that they are never alone and there is always someone on their side.”

“The video introduces a hidden helper from whom the young characters seek advice, information and encouragement – big or small – about their respective issues.”

The video is available bilingually on Meic's YouTube page and has already been viewed, liked and shared hundreds of times on social media, “with little input bar people's apparent interest and exceptional good will around it”, according to the director.

Megan, a teenager from Wales says, "I was being bullied… they would go out on the weekend and exclude me but tag me on Facebook to upset me."

“One Christmas, I was just sitting there thinking I can't go into school… there was no-one I could speak to.”

You can hear more from Megan by watching 'Megan's Story', another video just published by Meic on its YouTube page.

Children and young people in Wales up to the age of 25 can contact Meic 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year by instant message, text, call or email.

Megan says, "If you're bullied, remember it doesn't last forever and you can speak to Meic anytime day or night!"

For more information, visit www.meiccymru.org.

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Notes for Editors:

Meic is the 24/7 information, advice and advocacy helpline for young people aged 0-25 in Wales, open 365 days a year. Young people can contact Meic by phone (080880 23456), text (84001) or instant message (www.meiccymru.org).

Meic is run by ProMo-Cymru in partnership with Cywaith and is funded by the Welsh Government. For further information, contact Rebecca Iddon at rebecca@meiccymru.org or on 029 2000 4787.

Meic's video is available in English (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSix1jKNHBw and Welsh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4r1dpWldE4)

You can also watch the video about Megan opening up about her bullying experiences here: https://youtu.be/hmOADqw1RrA.