London Youth is a charity on a mission to improve the lives of young people in London, challenging them to become the best they can be. They acknowledge that young people need opportunities outside of school to have fun with their friends, learn new skills, and make positive change in their communities. They fill this gap with and through their network of community youth organisations and at their two residential centres. London Youth looks to work with all young people, focusing particularly on those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to the kind of opportunities they offer.

They are a valued partnership of the Jack Petchey Foundation, and so we wanted to dedicate this space to them to showcase what they do.

The following article was written by London Youth.

On 28th February 2020, 100 girls, young women and youth workers from 10 community youth organisations across London, came together at Hindleap Warren for Jack Petchey’s Champion Girls Residential.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8th March, the weekend gave the girls the opportunity to come together to support their wellbeing and to be challenged in an all-female led supportive environment.

The challenges:

• Petcheyfied Zone which involves climbing, abseiling and pentagon high ropes to the Leap of Faith.

Wellbeing activities:

• Forest walks which can potentially lead to a wide range of health, wellbeing and learning benefits.
• Planting trees and learning about nature and woodlands. Having general conversations around the importance of biodiversity and how they can develop and protect a woodland environment, as well as teaching the important roles trees play in improving our environment and wellbeing.
• Peer to peer mental health workshops; we recognise that adolescence and early adulthood are critical periods for the development of mental health conditions. Peer-to-peer communication is popular among young people and may improve mental health by providing social support

Case study from HR Sports Academy

“One of the girls in particular had an outstanding transformation. She has been to three different schools, been home schooled and she is only in Year 9.

When I informed our members of staff of who would be attending the residential, one questioned my decision on bringing her.

Although she has experienced a lot of trouble at school and at home, whenever she has been at any of HR Sports Academy activities, she is well behaved and more than manageable. The fact that she respects myself and our staff, I was happy to bring her along and I thought it would be really good for her as she would be in good company and hoped that the other girls would have a positive influence on her.

She absolutely thrived throughout the weekend. I noticed that she was a natural-born leader. Her interpersonal skills were outstanding, and she oozed with confidence! I was extremely proud of her and expressed this to her during a private conversation. The smile on her face was heart-warming. She was obviously proud of herself and it was clear that she rarely receives positive feedback, so it was clear that this was something new and something she enjoyed hearing.

When we returned, I informed her mum that I had a discussion with her, and she said that she noticed a change in her behaviour as soon as she got back. That Monday, before she went to school the girl had spoken to the mum and thanked her for putting up with her and being there for her. She also said that the residential had opened her eyes and that she wants to change and will do better.

The opportunities that you guys are providing are life-changing and we are very proud to be members of London Youth and thank you again for the opportunity, look forward to working more with you”. Youth practitioner Mickela Hall-Ramsay HR Sports Academy

To watch the video of the weekend produced by Champion the sports clothes brand, click here.

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