Social Action.Seanan Martin, Aisling Sweeney, Caomihe

Mclaughlin, Shane Barr and Connor McCallion

A brief historyThe idea for Youthlife evolved initially in 1992 when a small but committed group of single parents took the initiative to help themselves and others in their community. The group of pioneering visionaries, struggling to cope with the profound grief at the loss of a partner, reached out to each other with compassion and empathy and created a healing space for themselves, others and their children. The group listened carefully to the changing needs of the young people and slowly developed a range of programmes and support groups to help young people who had experienced bereavement and loss issues.

Their Mission Statement"To improve the health & well being of bereaved young people who have experienced bereavement and loss.”

The Aims and Objectives of ‘Youthlife’• Enable young people who have experienced complex grief to work through their grief and make a new beginning

in their changed family situation.• Raise awareness and greater understanding of the grief experienced by young people as the result of the loss of

a parent, grandparent, friend or sibling through death, divorce or separation.• Create personal and professional development opportunities which will inspire young people to grow in self

esteem and confidence.• Recognise and encourage the positive contribution that peer education can make to the lives of young people.• Develop constructive and positive relationships which will promote the sharing and exchange of information

between individuals and organisations concerned with the development of young people.• Provide support and appropriate programmes for parents of single parent status.• To seek more effective ways of empowering young people to be heard and listened to and to inform and

influence policy makers on their behalf.• Create a forum for the voices of young people to be heard and listened to and to inform and influence policy

makers on their behalf.• Encourage the inclusion of child grief programmes in mainstream education curricula.

Some programmes they offer:• Where am I now? (WAIN)• Growing through change• Headstart• Safe futures• Professional counselling service• Social development• Drop in service• Positive parenting progamme • Stop smoking support• Volunteer enrichment residential • Life skills Training programme

Where Am I Now? (WAIN) Programme• The WAIN Programme is a six week course offering young people a

gentle first step in exploring feelings about changes in their lives. The weekly sessions consist of the following topics:

• Exploring who I am• New changes in my life• Learning about my feelings• Expressing my feelings• Learning how my feelings change• My new family situation• Young people are often self-conscious about their appearance and

physical development. Being part of a group, especially outside of their chosen circle of friends may be daunting. The group leaders, both young and adult, gently encourage participants to feel comfortable and experience acceptance. The activities in the group can be a first step towards developing a sense of their own identity and independence.

• Growing Through Change Residential Weekends• The focus of the weekend is working through the stages of the grief process as identified

by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler Ross. It draws on a structured programme designed to help young people understand, process and work through the feelings of grief experienced through the loss of a loved one. The young people are divided into small groups of 4-5 people appropriate to their age and remain in these small groups for most of the weekend. This small group will also have two trained volunteers, one youth and one adult.

• The activities of the weekend consist of:• Personal experience talks by young volunteers• Small discussion groups• Audio and visual presentations• Small group activities• Structured play and recreational activities• The flow of the weekend develops self awareness and self confidence in the participants.

It enables young people to experience a sense of uniqueness and importance. At the same time, it shows that feelings such as anger, sadness, guilt and fear are not unique, but are shared by others and can be safely discussed. The young people are thus enabled to re-evaluate themselves and their family in a more positive light. They are also able to learn new ways of dealing with feelings and problems they may encounter later in their lives.

Professional Counselling Service• Their counselling service provides the opportunity for young people to look more

closely at their lives in a safe, confidential, neutral and non-judgemental environment. Their counsellors are all professionally trained and receive regular supervision and support. Therapists work with a wide range of issues such as:

• Bereavement• Suicidal Ideation• Self harm• Eating Disorders• Sexual Abuse• Relationships• Depression• Young people can refer themselves or they can be referred by a parent, or a

professional such as a teacher, doctor or social worker. A meeting will usually be carried out prior to commencement of counselling. This will enable an exchange of information between counsellor and client. The information gained is used for the counsellor and young person to assess each other's appropriateness for counselling at the time. Appointments will usually take place once a week and last for up to one hour. Counselling will continue for as long as the young person needs support.

Social Development• They provide 5 social events for 60 young people each year,

which contribute significantly to their personal and social development. These events include:

• The Local Bowling alley for Bowling, Pool and a meal• The Youthlife Centre for a Christmas Party• A Beach Party• A BBQ• The benefits of these events are that young people have

opportunities to relax and enjoy social events in a recreational environment and they develop meaningful friendships as they interact with their peers in a non-threatening environment. Also, the young people begin to respect and appreciate themselves as valued human beings.

• Positive Parenting Programme• Bringing up children in any circumstances can be

challenging. The pressures on single parent families plus society's expectations, adds to the problem. One of the most important factors is the early emotional attachment and the establishment of a loving parent/child relationship. Their programmes help parents explore and make sense of these delicate issues in a safe and non-judgemental environment and provide practical support on developing positive communication and relationship skills.

Drop in service• A welcoming environment for young people to receive support

from adults who are trained in basic counselling skills.• Information to parents, professionals and young people on the

programmes provided by Youthlife. • Sound information on health, educational and work

programmes for young people to further their personal development.

• A safe environment for young people who are at risk through deliberate self-harm or suicide.

• A friendly environment where young people can explore alternatives to substance misuse and anti-social activities.

Stop Smoking SupportA stop smoking clinic is provided and delivered by a trained Stop Smoking Counsellor. The clinic offers individual and group support. An appointment is necessary for individual counselling.The Stop Smoking Group is open to new participants at any time. Guidance on Nicotine Replacement Therapy is given.

Headstart Programme• This is a five week follow up programme to the residential

weekend and offers continuing support and challenge to the young people as they begin to test their personal abilities and life skills.The young people remain in the small groups they were assigned on the residential and have an opportunity to renew friendships and build up trust. The programme enables participants to further reflect on and develop particular topics of the weekend, such as:

• Feelings• Trust• Self Esteem• Spirituality- searching for the meaning of life• Social celebration

Volunteer Enrichment Residential• A series of workshops on topics suggested by the young volunteers is delivered

on a Residential Weekend to 30 young people each year. The topics include:• Anger management• Self esteem building• Inner child• Yoga• Developing self awareness• Team building• The benefits of the workshops are to provide a safe space for the young

volunteers who are delivering the programmes to come together to refresh and energise themselves in areas they have identified and give and receive support to each other. Team spirit and bonding is developed as they deepen friendships with their peers.

Life Skills Training Programmes• They provide a wide range of personal and professional

training programmes. Personal development programmes increase self knowledge, self acceptance and self confidence while professional development programmes offer opportunities to learn basic counselling skills, facilitation skills, assertiveness and leadership skills.Their courses are accredited through the Northern Ireland Open College Network. Many of our training programmes are youth led, with young people taking a strong leadership role.

The Phillip Lawrence Award.In 2009, Youthlife became a proud recipient of a Philip Lawrence Award in recognition of their compassionate work with young people from Derry attended a gala ceremony in London. According to Donna Wilson, a former award winner:"Youthlife stood out on every count and is one of the best projects I’ve seen, including previous awards years. It covers so many important issues and their work to prevent suicide is very compelling"One of the Award judges described the Youthlife project as:"One of the best I have ever seen"Through the Awards, ten groups of young people from across the UK were recognised for their remarkable work to improve their local community. The winners collected their awards on 8th December from Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, and Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families, Ed Balls, at a glamorous awards ceremony at BAFTA in London’s west end, hosted by television presenter, Sir Trevor McDonald.The awards were set up in memory of head teacher Philip Lawrence who was murdered outside his school in 1995.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuYpXTGZVIM)

Youthcafe.Youthlife also run a café every Friday and Saturday night from 7pm-12pm. They provide a variety of activities and equiptment for the young people that attend can use, such as computers, a pool table and games consuls. The idea of the youthcafe is too keep young people off the streets and provide a safe place for them to spend their weekend nights.