Special support for young people
WHEN HELP IS NEEDED MOST
Delivering special support to young people who need it most
Our staff teams are all trained and experienced in supporting and working with young people with special educational or behavioural needs. Programmes like The Breakout Programme and The Youth Mentoring scheme encourage positive engagement and achievement in young people whose challenging behaviour can lead them to the brink of exclusion from school. Programmes like The Breakout Programme can break negative behavioural patterns and create new ways forward.
The Breakout Programme has been commissioned by Thames Valley Police as an intervention to break the cycle of knife crime and gang violence.
We work extensively with schools providing bespoke solutions and interventions to address the needs of their most challenging students.
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Programmes supporting young people
ACTION4YOUTH THE MENTORING PROGRAMME
Every young person deserves the best possible start in life, and when there is a lack of focus or direction it becomes difficult to achieve real potential. Youth programmes like youth mentoring and enrichment programmes can deliver crucial support, encouragement and guidance to young people needing that extra help.
Mentoring programmes where the young person gets direct interaction with a mentor on a 1:1 basis are proven to generate the best results with trust-based relationships. Group sessions help achieve trust in the mentoring relationship, but also encourage greater confidence.
Our innovative youth programmes are run where each session will aim to achieve an understanding of the needs of each young person and explore positive interests that will engage them and provide them with a new focus.
Our programmes explore and develop coping skills and build resilience which will not only improve quality of life but also establish a positive mindset that will enhance confidence and future opportunities to achieve potential.
Action4Youth delivers 1:1 mentoring in both High Wycombe and the Aylesbury Vale area. Funded by Buckinghamshire Council, our programme offers mentoring sessions for young people aged 11- 18 years.
Our mentors work with young people who are;
- vulnerable and at risk of being drawn in to low level disorder and anti-social behaviour, from across all communities.
- at risk of crime and radicalisation
- at risk of substance and drug abuse
- at risk of and/or developing signs of low level mental ill health
- those who are displaying challenging behaviour at school
Through a series of tailored 1:1 sessions, and the use of the Outcomes Star tool, our programme aims to;
- Identify and work to overcome challenges in the young person life
- develop life and social skills, reducing isolation and increasing resilience and self-esteem
- facilitate an increase in personal aspirations for life and work
- identify and articulate interests and explore potential pathways for positive activity that engage and channel their energies differently, reducing the desire for anti-social behaviour.
- build trust-based relationships across communities and with stakeholders that help build stronger more integrated peer groups and communities.
If you have a young person who you think would benefit from our mentoring scheme please complete the referral for below
Programmes supporting young people
THE BREAKOUT PROGRAMME
The Breakout Programme is designed to bring positive change to the lives of young people who are at risk of being sucked into crime and of losing purpose in their lives.
The Breakout Programme is a package of mentoring, classroom sessions and outdoor education designed for young people as an intervention programme to reduce gang and knife crime. The participants will all be displaying various early indicators of susceptibility to crime e.g. risk of exclusion from school, disruptive behaviour, poor school attendance, anti-social behaviour and possibly already having had some negative contact with the police.
The project runs for 0.5 day each week over a 12-week period for groups of 6 young people from the same school and is delivered from our outdoor education centre, Caldecotte Xperience.
Across the 12 weeks, we deliver sessions including mental health and resilience, public speaking and personal presentation and goal setting as well as a session from an ex-offender focussing on County Lines. Participants will visit a specialist centre where they see graphic images of knife crime and the horrifying impact of stab wounds, followed by an accredited first-aid session where they will learn how to apply potentially life-saving first aid.
Outdoor education sessions will be designed to build team dynamics, confidence and leadership skills, and will include climbing, high ropes, caving, archery, sailing and stand-up paddle boarding. The programme will start with 1:1 mentoring with an experienced A4Y mentor to establish a rapport and set goals using our evaluation tool, Outcomes Star. 1:1 sessions will continue at the start and end of each half-term to track progress and to build on the foundations learnt during the activity sessions, and to reflect on the young persons’ behaviour and choices to enable them to make more positive decision going forwards.
The programme has been developed from a pilot initiative delivered in February 2020 with students from a number of local schools. The project was very successful, but feedback from participants and staff highlighted the need for further intervention across a longer period. This will enable the programme to have greater impact on the students, with progress tracked over the course of the academic year.
Programmes supporting young people
ACTION4YOUTH COUNSELLING SERVICES
We provide counselling in a safe and confidential environment at The Junction in High Wycombe. Young people will find someone to talk to who listens, cares, gives emotional support and empowers them to find a solution.
You don’t need to book in advance, just pop in to speak to one of our team members about counselling and they will be able to give you the information you need.
Counselling at The Junction is a free service. Our sessions last for 50 minutes, once a week. Most people come to counselling for several sessions over a few weeks, but everyone is different.
If you would like further information or would like to speak to us beforehand, please contact us: [email protected] t. 07767 161 098
Blueprint, Pupil Referral Unit
