Birmingham dance social enterprise leaps into action to raise the bar on children’s mental health

The new social enterprise is finding its rhythm with a message of “moving to change how you feel, not how you look”.

Romy Ashmore-Hills and Katie Evans launched Hungry2Move, dance workshops teaching young people about positive body image and attitude towards exercise, to combat the rising tide of low self esteem.

Since 2017 the number of young people struggling with their mental health has nearly doubled, according to the mental health charity Mind.

Romy and Katie are both experienced in the performing industries, and Katie herself struggled with disordered eating while studying for a degree in dance.

Their goal now is to empower other young people to feel positive about their own bodies and challenge unhealthy social media influences on body image through the medium of dance.

And they have already reached more than 650 young people from nurseries to sixth forms across the West and East Midlands in the six months since they opened.

Romy said: “We do a lot of work discussions about health and how to move in a healthy way in primary schools. And some of what they say, without realising, is quite shocking.

“A five or six-year-old girl said she ate ice cubes instead of Doritos because they're calorie free. That is directly from a TikTok trend and diet culture.

“It is about giving those young people the skills to safeguard their own body image and feel positive about how they are in their own bodies and challenge things that they're being told by the media or by social media.

“We are seeing "muscle dysmorphia" in boys, thinking that they're not buff enough. They end up just eating a lot of protein or taking supplements, and it's really, really unhealthy.

“We want to change that mindset of what the point of exercising is. It should be less about changing how our body looks; more moving to change how you feel. Exercise is for your whole health, not for losing weight or getting a six-pack because that is not sustainable and actually not what is keeping you healthy.” Hungry2Move has been able to develop their business thanks to funding from UnLtd, a charity which funds and supports social entrepreneurs tackling the key issues facing society. The £7,000 funding Hungry2Move received was part of their Movement for Change programme run in partnership with Sport England. Romy added: “We want our website to become a hub for parents and teachers to find resources and advice. It's important for us to consult with body image and eating disorder therapists to have that specialist knowledge informing our practice.” Mark Norbury, chief executive of UnLtd, added: “Social entrepreneurs from our Movement for Change programme are tackling inequalities and mental health challenges with inspired wellbeing solutions and activities. They are making a powerful difference in communities – at a time when so many of us have been struggling. We’re excited to support many more social entrepreneurs with Sport England.” For more information on Hungry 2 Move visit: www.hungry2move.com To find out how you can apply for the Movement For Change fund go here: www.unltd.org.uk/awards/movement-for-change