Mental illness affects every group in society: seniors, adults, teens – but often the turmoil begins in early childhood.

That's why the Duchess of Cambridge is devoting time to a model program that gives kids a safe place in school to express and learn about emotions. As patron of the charity Place2Be since 2013, she sat down with some 10-year-olds for a serious heart-to-heart discussion to mark the start of the first UK Children's Mental Health Week.

NEED A SMILE IN YOUR DAY? …GET OUR GOOD NEWS APP—>  Download FREE for Android and iOS

On Monday, Place2Be unveiled their week-long campaign with a three-minute message from Duchess Kate to parents around the world – a gentle, yet sorely-needed, reminder that kids need just as much mental consoling and support as adults too.

The theme of Children's Mental Health Week this year is ‘building resilience' and teaching children to ‘bounce forward' from life's challenges.

Place2Be‘s work in over 250 schools and their training for school staff focuses on understanding a child's behavior and helping them to manage their emotions in a positive way by teaching skills to cope with the difficulties life throws at them. A telephone hotline was set up to offer guidance for parents, as well.

Place2Be's research claims that increased emotional well-being among children improved classroom learning by 68% and quality of friendships with peers by 80%.

"This resilience — our ability to deal with stressful situations — is something we begin to learn in childhood," said the Duchess, speaking from a classroom at Salusbury Primary School in London. "Every child deserves to grow up feeling confident that they won't fall at the first hurdle, that they can cope with life's setbacks."

(WATCH the video below)

SHARE the Royal Message…