We were delighted to fund No5 Young People with £8,925 from the #iWill Scheme for their ‘Reading Young People’s Hub’ Project.
No5 Young People offer free, confidential, and professional counselling and outreach to young people aged 11-25 suffering mental distress, available on a self-referral basis.
COVID, lockdown, and the cost-of-living crisis is having an ongoing and devastating impact on children and young people’s mental health. Despite increasing counselling capacity by 75% since 2019, No5 still have a waiting list of over 1000 young people and rising, waiting around 40 weeks.
No5 provides up to 20 sessions, often extending way beyond this number due to demand. They counsel 800 young people and rising, and reach an additional 4,000 through a growing preventative outreach programme annually.
No5 integrate innovative professional practice with young person-centred mental health services, including preventative and alternative provisions. Young leaders with lived experiences play a central role, ensuring that young voices are at the heart of their service.
A listening exercise organised by No5 with marginalised young people revealed that they do not benefit from, trust, or feel safe with most statutory services. They expressed a need for a holistic approach to service access, design and delivery, driven by collaboration between young people and professionals under one roof: The Reading Young People’s Hub.
The project involved young people collaborating with a specialist youth work consultant during sessions to co-design specific youth services, as well as their specialist Hub designer to ensure the building met high standards of accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. It has been designed to help young people feel seen, heard, and understood, emphasising that their contributions are valuable and significant. For many young people who feel ‘unheard,’ this would be a profound and meaningful experience that boosts their confidence, well-being, and ambition.
Young people who participated in the sessions and activities have grown in confidence, initially from being properly heard and listened to, and from engaging meaningfully in decision-making alongside their peers. They have developed design and digital skills, and received training, with all achieving AQA Unit Awards for their involvement in Social Action and participation in a Youth Voice project.
These experiences have significantly contributed to their overall well-being and mental health, as they saw the positive impact their voices, stories, experiences, and time had on the Hub’s plans and progress. Beneficiaries felt empowered by the difference they were making for other young people, and for the future.
More about the #IWill Funding
The #iwill Fund supports the broader #iwill movement – a collaboration of over 1000 cross-sector organisations and over 300 young people who are united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.
The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. Berkshire Community Foundation is acting as a match funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund.
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