We're an education and research-led partnership creating focussing on practical ways to support young people's mental health, wellbeing, identity, and sense of belonging.
Rooted in empathy, creativity, and critical thinking, our work brings together teaching, psychology, and technology to explore how young people navigate complex social experiences, and how we can support them in doing so with confidence and compassion.
Former primary school teacher with a passion for immersive technologies in education. Background in educational technology research, MSc in Computer Science. Interests include tinkering with new tech, technology relatedside projects, and relaxing with his partner and their two cats.
Former mental health and special educational needs teacher, now a psychology researcher. BA in Philosophy, PGCE, MA by Research in Philosophy of Psychiatry, and PhD focused on compassionate behavior in young people with BPD. Background in performing arts, interests in alternative approaches to mental health and involving lived experience in research design.
"Athronydd" is Cymraeg for philosopher. Our partnership aims to encourage critical thinking, ethical reflection, and emotional insight among young people. We want to give young people the tools to think deeply about their social world and their place within it.
We're developing a bilingual, immersive digital resource for young people in Wales, supported by the Adnodd Innovation and Collaboration Fund. Our focus is on belonging, vulnerability, and identity through an interactive, branching-narrative experience - a "choose-your-own-adventure" reimagined for VR headsets, immersive rooms, or standard PCs.
Young people will engage with challenging social situations and make decisions that influence the story, highlighting how choices affect individual and community wellbeing.
This resource doesn't aim to blame or moralise - it's about understanding and empathy. We want to help young people grasp how actions affect themselves and their communities. Our approach is grounded in lived experience, trauma-informed practice, and a belief in the power of reflection to support emotional awareness and navigating complexity with compassion.
We're grateful to Adnodd for supporting this work through their Innovation and Collaboration Fund.
We'd love to hear from you. Whether you're interested in collaboration, have a question about our work, or just want to learn more, feel free to get in touch.
Technology, education, immersive tools, and digital development
monty@athronyddrc.comORCID ID: 0009-0008-7915-4964
Psychology, education, wellbeing, and research enquiries
catrin@athronyddrc.comORCID ID: 0000-0002-1109-4685
Not sure who to contact? Feel free to copy us both in, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
