What we do
We believe that good mental wellbeing underpins all other positive outcomes for children and young people.
If you’re not in the right headspace to learn, it’s more difficult to succeed in your education or life.
That’s why building wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do.
Why we do it
Every parent wants to think that their children will have a better life than they had – but increasingly in the UK, this is not the case.
The UK’s children are the least happy in Western Europe. One in four British 15-year-olds has low wellbeing and is unsatisfied with their life, and one in five young people in England has a diagnosable mental health disorder.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. When challenges continue to mount up, having someone who believes in you can make all the difference. That’s where we come in.
Our programmes
Our wellbeing-first approach provides an in-person supportive space where children and young people can develop their skills, grow in confidence and thrive.
One-to-one mentoring
We provide trusted adult support through our dedicated team of Programme Leads so that all the young people we work with have someone in their corner. Our approach focuses on drawing out their strengths, skills and aspirations, and using them to improve their overall happiness and resilience.
Group mentoring
On our group programmes, young people are empowered to become mentors to younger children. Being trusted to be a role model has a transformative effect on their self-esteem, aspirations and communication skills.
Our approach is…
Asset-based
Even though the young people we work with face challenges, we know they have the strength and capability to make positive changes in their lives if they are empowered to do so.
We create spaces where children and young people can be themselves without judgement whilst they learn. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.
Trauma-informed
We recognise the impact of trauma on the lives of children, young people, families and our team.
We understand that trauma can affect how people think, feel and behave, and we respond with empathy. We actively prioritise emotional safety and try to avoid re-traumatisation.
Collaborative
We work with past programme participants to design and improve our programmes, so we know they will continue to be effective for others. Feedback from them, their parents and teachers informs our processes and is one of the ways we measure the impact we’re having.
Evidence-driven
We use a range of outcome measures to check what we’re doing is working. We also bring in external experts to evaluate the impact of our work and build our existing evidence base.
Our impact
We’ve supported over 27,000 children and young people to re-engage with school and their futures.
improve their wellbeing
improve their confidence
improve their engagement with school and learning
Where we work
We work with schools and nurseries throughout London, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Yorkshire and the West Midlands.
Our long-term ambition is to be everywhere a young person needs us. So if you’re interested in running one of our programmes in your school or area, regardless of whether we’re working nearby or not, please let us know!
Stay in touch
Hear about what our graduates have achieved, our latest news and how you can help.
