Young people like Jayden. Aged 15, living in a residential care home and not attending school for many months. Jayden had previously experienced trauma and abuse at home and found it hard to make sense of what had happened to him. As a result, he found it hard to manage his behaviour and emotions. He gradually started to withdraw from school, as this stopped him getting into trouble. Our support focused on Jayden, his care home and his school. Three practitioners met Jayden every week, each delivering 1 session per week and an additional session to support his Mum. Through these therapeutic sessions, they focused on supporting Jayden with strategies relating to our internal 'Building Blocks to Learning.' This included targets around self-regulation, self-awareness and social awareness/ relationship skills.

We helped Jaydon to develop his self-esteem and self-confidence, enabling him to believe in himself and understand his strengths. We helped Jayden to reflect on his life experiences and how these have impacted on his emotions, behaviour and educational journey. Through this work, he was able to understand that his emotions affected his behaviour and in turn how people perceived him. We gave him strategies to manage his emotions when he felt overwhelmed, which stopped him feeling out of control when becoming angry and at times aggressive. We helped him to find a trusted adult in school and in his care home who understood his needs and who he could go to in times of need, making sure they understood the strategies that Jayden was using to help manage his emotions, so he wasn’t immediately in trouble. He started to trust the adults around him and at the end of our intervention, took steps to gradually go back into school to prepare for his GCSEs. He feels more positive about his future, trusts adults around him more and is integrating back with his school, friends and community.

£25 would fund a Summer Project trip for a young person

£120 would fund resources for a one-to-one intervention

£500 would fund your local primary school to receive a Make Me Smile session

£900 would fund a Summer Project place for a young person

I am not a runner by any means! But knowing my fundraising will support the mental health of vulnerable young people keeps me motivated. I see first-hand how severe anxiety prevents young people from leaving their homes and going out with their friends. I know how young people like Jayden can be misunderstood, with neglect and abuse affecting their behaviour and emotions and how they view themselves. They find it so difficult to trust adults. Last year, this kept me going round the 7k course!!

Working at One-Eighty, I see how every penny we fundraise benefits our work with young people. Supporting us today will make a huge difference to the lives of young people. Please get involved!