Our speciality is to work with young people in a holistic, inclusive way, no matter the issue or difficulty they are facing, we have experience in working with offenders, victims, and witnesses. We recognise and understand majority of the youth these days have lived through something traumatic. Whilst a specific topic may be bothering/affecting a young person, our main goal is to improve a young person’s mental outlook and encourage them to reach a better place within themselves (with the support of any network they may have around them).
Our delivery methods range from practical support to emotional and specialist. Please read on further to explore the services we provide and the topics we have experience in dealing with.
Schools Work
We are often approached by both junior and senior schools, to deliver assemblies and facilitate workshops – incorporating Interactive Drama Performances or motivational presentations from lived experience. We encourage discussions with schools we collaborate with in order to explore their individual needs and tailor a visit from our team accordingly.
We often find that as a result of delivering assemblies, workshops, performances and presentations, individual young people will approach members of our team or get in touch afterwards with a strength to open up about what is going on for them.
If you can accommodate this we like to bring our GYM youth bus when we visit schools. This can be parked in any convenient place, and allows young people to visit us during breaks or lunchtimes, to talk individually if they would like to do so.
“Really, really good. Within the first few minutes of his talk he had the whole cohort totally absorbed. He spoke to the kids on their level and made them really think about some tough issues”
Family Work
We regularly hear from parents and guardians who are very concerned about their young people and are seeking help for them. We seek to support these worried parents alongside offering help and support to their children and young people.
We are also aware that many young people exhibiting problem behaviour or involved in violent lifestyles come from families where parents have themselves experienced difficulties in life. This can range from abuse and traumatic experiences in childhood to suffering domestic violence as adults.
Our specialist therapists have the training and skills to help and support traumatised adults. Our aim is to help such parents and carers to move towards recovery themselves, so that as they find healing and feel more positive themselves they will be better equipped to support their trouble youngsters.
Mentoring
Mentors offer One-to-One support and guidance to young people seeking to find direction and a way forward in life.
The first job of our mentors is to form positive relationships with the young people they are supporting. We cant expect any young person to work with a mentor they do not trust or respect.
Our aim is to provide mentors who absolutely can be trusted and respected, and who will then walk with a young person through the obstacles they face in life.
Specialist Therapy
Specialist therapists within the GYM team are trained and qualified to provide therapy to children and young people who have experienced trauma in their lives, either recently or when they were younger.
We all recognise that no one’s life is without difficulties and that when problem occur they can have a profound effect on feelings and behaviour.
Trauma-focussed CBT is a type of therapy specifically designed to help both adults and children get over past difficulties, erase the memories and stop the nightmares so that life can become positive once more.
Our therapists work closely with the mentors in our team, building trusting relationships with young people and helping when specialist help is needed.
NICE Guidelines
Community Focus
Past experience in running similar projects has proved community voice is a pivotal concern of our work.
The community is vital to a young person’s development and progression and when young people are involving themselves or being groomed into negative behaviours, this affects the community as a whole.
These consultations with local community groups including individuals and families, have majorly reported stronger interventions need to be made available to this cohort.
Community groups are working tirelessly to provide youth support and some level of cohesion.
Topics & Issues we can help with
By tackling these kinds of issues with the delivery approaches mentioned ahead, we have transformed many young persons’ lives in a fruitful, positive way.