Nearly 75% of young people in the criminal justice system suffer from poor mental health. Many go through traumatic events with no one to talk to about what they’ve seen and no one to help them heal from it.

A multitude of barriers affect the likelihood of young people, particularly black boys, engaging with therapeutic services:

• Cultural and systemic barriers including distrust in statutory services

• Stigma within the black community around accessing mental health services

• Systemic discrimination, and negative experiences

• Accessibility barriers such as long waiting lists

• Services not designed to serve clients experiencing chaotic lifestyles

• Engagement barriers such as counselling feeling too clinical or impersonal

These individuals are more likely to engage with trusted community-based services like Spark2Life.

We need you to help us to #BreakTheBarriers to mental health support.

Spark2Life previously ran a counselling service for our young people. It had a huge impact in the lives of those who received it, with 100% of clients reporting measurable improvement in their wellbeing with decrease in anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Our counselling is culturally responsive and recognises the impact of trauma, cultural experiences on mental health and systemic disadvantage. This means our counselling clients can engage safely and meaningfully in therapy.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding we had to stop offering the counselling service to our young people. We are confident that this wrap-around support improves the lives of young people. We need your help to restart the service and provide safe spaces with trusted adults to our young people.

Noah said, "Since working with my counsellor, my life has completely changed. I had never had counselling or therapy before and I felt as though I didn’t deserve it, I guess, but my counsellor really helped me to dive deep into things that have happened in my life and how they have affected the way I am today.

They helped me to think of practical ways to manage my emotions and communicate how I’m feeling more effectively which is something I have struggled with for a long time.

Not only that, they helped me to see why I found it hard and tackle the root problem too. They also encouraged me to live more authentically and within my truth which has had a massive positive impact on my relationships."