Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

The charity

The Amy Winehouse Foundation Resilience Programme is a drug & alcohol awareness and prevention programme for secondary schools. In partnership with Addaction, the Amy Winehouse Foundation educates students and their parents about the triggers for substance misuse and what can be done to prevent it. 4/5 people who suffer from an alcohol problem don't receive the help they need and the aim of this charity is to enable students to address issues such as their mental health, family issues, racism and bullying without turning to drugs or alcohol. The programme provides:

• Parents’ evenings to inform parents about the underlying reasons for substance misuse & encourage them to have better communication with their children. 
• Sessions that incorporate volunteers' real-life stories
• Groups that build resilience in students
• Signposting to local treatment services

Why I've picked this charity

I am currently a 2nd year student at Keele University, studying Pharmacy. Although I have been involved in multiple charity events, this is the first event I have organised and I'd love to hear your story or receive encouraging support. Recently, I have been struggling with the pressures of University life & have been turning to alcohol to cope with this. This is difficult to speak out about however this is not the coping strategy that I want others to fall into as I know there are many University students out there who are currently struggling. If we can educate the young students before they go to university/apprenticeship/work, then I truly believe it will make a huge impact on their lives and in their future careers. My aim is to use my experiences positively to help give young people the best possible chance in life, the youth are the FUTURE. 

What I'm going to do 

Those of you that know me will know how difficult it is for me to be around a bee/wasp for longer than a few seconds. To think that I will be spending 30 minutes with bees during a bee-keeping experience is truly terrifying. Although this will be one of the hardest things I've ever done, this charity teaches children about resilience & I'd love to conquer my fear for such a great cause. Dear Friends & Family, If you'd had to endure embarrassment due to my high-pitch screaming, nightmares, or if I've forced you to sit inside during the summer then please donate because not will this help conquer my phobia, this amazing charity deserves your kindness! Dear Strangers, think about how difficult it must be to overcome your personal phobias and please donate! For other people, the bee-keeping experience may not be quite as terrifying so I've decided to additionally Tandem Skydive from 10'000ft which involves a free-fall of 30 seconds! This is an experience I've never wanted to participate in due to the fear of falling but it's an experience I will never forget. I'm very anxious to participate in both events but with your kindness, I will be motivated to do both with a smile on my face! 

What you can do 

Please donate and help me to raise my target of £500 to this amazing cause because I believe the work carried out by the charity will help prevent the misuse of drugs & alcohol at an early age. Almost 1 in 4 young people show evidence of mental health and we need to help them become more aware of the support available to them. Unfortunately, some people find other means to cope with their problems, such as excessively drinking & drug abuse, however they CAN be provided with positive coping strategies by this great charity. 

Updates  

Please follow my Facebook page or Instagram account [sophie_perryx] if you'd like to keep updated on my experience. There will be various pictures & videos uploaded on these terrifying experiences but I'd love to impact others on ways in which YOU can raise money for important charities! I hope to achieve the target of £500 by March 2019 but I need your help! All profits go to this compassionate charity, if you'd like to read more information please follow this link: http://amywinehousefoundation.org/our-work/resilience-programme/ & if you feel you'd like to help yourself or communicate with your children please download the parent's programme here: http://amywinehousefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/parents_information_booklet_jan_17_3.pdf          

Thank you for taking the time to read my story!