blurred group of young students going to class in fast movement, Generative AI

Transition to secondary school – preparing for the change​

The ‘Primary – Need to Know’ resilience training for Transition Stage pupils (Years 6), aged 10 – 11 years is delivered to children by skilled experts with over 20 years’ experience within Statutory (Policing and Local Authority) and Non Statutory Setting. 

The work shops are an interactive classroom-based session.  It helps to build children’s resilience to saying “no” to gangs, violence and associated vulnerability.  The interactive session develops their thinking skills to better understand the risks they may well experience and to guide and support them towards making the right positive choices. 

Primary school is the starting point for most educational journeys. It can be for some the place where many social skills are formed and values and beliefs outside of the home are created.

For many parents, it will also be the first time that they have experienced a level of independence in their child, with the responsibility of handling home work and similar school based projects. For many it is also a time when there are significant changes that arise in their child on a day to day basis. This could be friendship groups, behaviour or emotional intelligence. Having worked as a primary school mentor for eight years, my concern was always the transition period for most of the mentees that I had the pleasure to know. I have always maintained that transition to secondary actually starts in year five, when most of the pupils are already experiencing fear or worrying about the change in environment. Many are fearful of the increase in workload and the increased responsibility to manage their time better etc. Secondary school can also be a concern for parents, many of them are unconsciously worried about the well being of their child or children when this environment changes. Parents play a massive part in preparation for transition to secondary.

Youth Unity Transition
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Julian Philips
Mentor

With an extensive 23-year career in the Criminal Justice System, encompassing roles within the prison system and probation, Julian has acquired invaluable expertise. Additionally, he has held a managerial position in the Mental Health sector, further broadening my knowledge and skills.

In both his personal and professional life, he is driven by a strong motivation to serve as a positive role model. Julian strives to embody the values he believes in and inspire those around him to achieve their full potential. His ultimate passion lies in advocating for the less fortunate and advocating for equality, aiming to create a fair and just society for all individuals.

Over the course of his professional journey, Julian has amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience working with young people. Equipped with the necessary tools, I am adept at navigating through even the most challenging situations. This enables me to effectively connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds, establishing productive and meaningful connections.

Julian finds great fulfilment in inspiring others to pursue their goals and aspirations. By empowering individuals and encouraging them to reach their fullest potential, he believes in making a lasting impact on their lives.

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Paul Robinson
Serious Youth Violence Project Manager for Tendring

Paul is an experienced professional with a strong background in intervention, sport, and crime reduction management. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a genuine passion for making a positive impact in the lives of young people. Having enjoyed a successful coaching career in both the UK and the US, Paul made a deliberate decision to shift his focus towards utilizing sports and arts as a means of engaging with hard-to-reach young individuals. His goal is to uplift their aspirations and guide them away from a path of criminality.

In his most recent role as the Crime Reduction Manager at Charlton Athletic Football Trust (CACT), Paul demonstrated his leadership skills by spearheading projects that advanced and innovated criminal exploitation prevention across Kent and South East London. Currently, Paul serves as the Youth Unity Essex SYV Coordinator, where he takes on the responsibility of leading efforts in addressing serious youth violence.

Paul’s commitment to community safety and tackling serious youth violence is evident through his involvement in various London-based advisory boards. He actively contributes his expertise and insights to shape strategies and initiatives aimed at ensuring the well-being and security of local communities.

Overall, Paul’s background, experience, and engagement with advisory boards reflect his dedication to making a difference in the lives of young people, promoting community safety, and driving positive change.

Wayne Hill

Wayne Hill
Mentor, Gang Exit Serious Youth Violence

Wayne is a dedicated and passionate advocate in the field of serious youth violence and gang exit work. With over 25 years of experience, he has been at the forefront of efforts to address and mitigate the impact of youth violence and gang-related issues within our communities.

Having witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of youth violence, Wayne has committed his career to creating positive change and providing viable alternatives for at-risk youth. Wayne has worked tirelessly to design and implement intervention programs aimed at preventing youth involvement in gangs and supporting those seeking to exit this perilous lifestyle.

Wayne serves as our mentor for addressing serious youth violence, boasting an impressive tenure of over three decades spent working closely with challenging and difficult-to-engage young individuals. His extensive experience encompasses a diverse spectrum, and his unwavering determination to guide young people toward success is truly remarkable. With an outstanding track record of achievements within his cohort, Wayne has consistently demonstrated his proficiency.

Furthermore, Wayne’s expertise extends to the realm of contextual safeguarding, an area he has gained considerable insight into over his many years of involvement in children’s care homes. His adeptness and fervor shine through, particularly in his adept handling of the demanding responsibilities associated with this role.

Art therapy for healing trauma from bullying and harassment Using collage techniques to express emotions Developing psychological defense mechanisms through artistic creation A safe space for people

VAWG Workshops

Crafting workshops that address Violence Against Women and Girls necessitates a nuanced and age-appropriate approach, a task we handle with utmost sensitivity and care.

Our workshops are meticulously designed to foster understanding, empathy, and awareness in a safe and engaging environment for young people. Through tailored activities like storytelling and interactive discussions, we aim to convey the importance of respect, kindness, consent, and addressing inappropriate behavior. The content is thoughtfully curated to instill foundational values, providing a platform for young minds to comprehend the gravity of this traumatic topic and encouraging them to recognise harmful behaviors, thereby keeping each other safe.

Central to our approach is creating a safe space for young people to express their thoughts and feelings. By promoting open communication, we instill the belief that their voices matter, empowering them to speak up against any form of violence.

The content of our workshops goes beyond awareness; it’s designed to cultivate the foundations of healthy relationships. Empowering young individuals with knowledge and skills, our aim is to equip them to build positive connections with others, contributing to the creation of environments that are free from violence and coercion. Your support allows us to expand the reach of these vital workshops, making a lasting impact on the lives of young people and fostering a culture of respect and empathy.

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Grace Moore
Clinical Supervisor

Grace is our dedicated clinical supervisor who is a cornerstone in our team, providing essential guidance and support to our healthcare professionals.

In this critical role, she bring a wealth of experience and expertise to oversee and enhance the quality of clinical care provided. Through regular supervision sessions, they create a reflective space for our team members to discuss cases, share insights, and continually refine their skills.

Grace’s commitment to upholding high standards of care and ensuring the well-being of both our clients and our team members makes them an indispensable leader within our clinical framework.

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Jason Hill
Ambassador & Advocate

Our Ambassador

PC Jason Hill is an amazing ambassador for our organisation, he serves as a vital link between our mission and the broader community, playing a crucial role in amplifying our impact. As a representative and advocate, they bring authenticity and passion to our cause, embodying the values we stand for. An ambassador’s reach extends beyond our immediate circles, creating awareness and garnering support from diverse audiences. Jason’s personal connection to our mission adds credibility, fostering trust and resonance with the community. Through their advocacy efforts, they inspire others to join our cause, contributing to the growth and sustainability of our organisation. In essence, an ambassador is not just a spokesperson; they are a catalyst for change, actively shaping perceptions, fostering collaboration, and advancing our shared goals.

When it comes to working with people caught up in crime, ‘collaboration’ and ‘multi-agency approach’ are modern buzz words. PC Jason Hill’s Salisbury Hall Friday Night project embodies these philosophies perfectly.

Jason is the Metropolitan Police’s Youth Engagement Coordinator for the North East Sector, running his own football-based Friday night project with at-risk young people but also supporting a further 14 projects in his own Boroughs of Newham and Waltham Forest which encompass over 2000 young people. Participants travel from across London to attend.

Young people who have been through, or are on the fringes of the custodial system, are referred to the projects by external agencies such as PRUs, schools or social services. The projects include football, cricket (in partnership with Surrey, Middlesex and Essex CCCs), dance, bike building and maintenance, mental health, theatre, rap and grime music sessions (with rapper Lemz) and gardening.

Jason’s own Salisbury Hall Friday Night Project in Waltham Forest began with six participants and now delivers to around 100 per week (there are nearly 800 registered), who flock from all over London.

“IT’S A MASSIVE SCOPE”

“Basically, I work with the kids that nobody else wants, or they find too difficult to handle,” says Jason. “These young people have lived experience of everything from murder to sex offences, and come from the most impoverished backgrounds. But we’ve got privately educated kids who want to be lawyers too. It’s a massive scope.

“On Friday nights, they all come together and play football. They are now starting to find each other on other nights and play football against each other on the estates. That proves the impact. At the top end of the scale, we’ve got kids into Crystal Palace and Peterborough United.”

All projects under Jason’s remit are devised to meet local need and are formed through multiple referral and delivery partners. Outcomes include raising ambitions through apprenticeships, coaching qualifications or onward referrals to organisations such as the Police Cadets. Anti-social behaviour has dropped 6.6% in the areas where projects take place.

The project is even supported by Team England, who have donated over 100 items of kit from the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast last April. Basketball players Orlan Jackman and long jumper Dan Bramble have been along to see the project in action.

“PARTNERSHIP IS THE ONLY WAY”

Jason (pictured below) is now trying to bring together police officers from other areas of London to share best practice. “We cannot simply arrest our way out of the current situation,” he says. “A multi-agency, partnership approach is the only way.

“I’m a police officer, so there’s an instant integrity there; there’s no political or financial gain. It’s purely about linking everybody together. The other day, we had a meeting with 27 people around the table. Someone asked, how do you do that? It’s because I’m the police and can act as that focal point to bring people together. You’ve got to work as a collective.”

One key component of that collective is the Youth Independent Advisory Group (YIAG), which consists of former young offenders, youth workers, victims of crime and characters such as Jamal, an international award-winning spoken-word poet who was in prison for five years. Their voices are as important as any in finding out the best ways to connect with local young people.

Jason and his partner Chris Hodge, from Alpha Sports Coaching, have cumulatively more than 55 years’ experience in Sport for Development work with young people. Their expertise in engaging young people is unsurpassed.

“It’s about building up a rapport and trust,” he reflects. “Myself and other police officers visit the projects and the young people don’t even bat an eyelid now when they see the police uniform. The officers just get involved and start chatting to young people. That’s what we’re trying to work towards, breaking those barriers down.”

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Riyad H.
Sessional Youth Worker

Riyad is a trainee English Teacher who works with us as a sessional youth worker.

Her role plays a vital part in engaging and supporting young people during specific sessions or programs. This flexible and dynamic professional brings enthusiasm and expertise to create a positive and inclusive environment for youth. Whether facilitating workshops, organising activities, or offering guidance, the sessional youth worker contributes to the holistic development of young individuals. Their part-time commitment allows for adaptability and a fresh perspective, ensuring that each session is tailored to meet the unique needs and interests of the youth they serve. Through their dedication and passion, sessional youth workers make meaningful contributions to the well-being and growth of the young people they interact with

The essence of embracing challenges, personal growth, and finding meaning in life by overcoming obstacles

Limitless Minds: Redefining Abilities with Nick Wilson … Podcast

Nick Wilson is a Speaker, Presenter and Content Creator, aka Disabled Adventurer, an Ambassador for Purple Tuesday, and the Disability Expo, who Champions suicide survivors and abilities over disabilities, through his talks and adventures. He openly, and very frankly, shares his lived experiences with mental illness, physical disability and surviving a suicide attempt to; inform society, encourage change, and inspire and empower others, with authenticity and a message of hope.

He is also an Army Veteran with an impactful story to tell. After 14 years of service, Nick left the military, with a spinal injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD, as a result of multiple deployments across the globe such as, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Through his battle with both physical and mental disabilities, surviving attempted suicide and managing suicidal ideation, Nick continually demonstrates resilience and the ability to overcome adversity, whilst forging a new career as a successful public speaker, budding presenter, video producer and an adventurer always looking for his next challenge.

Through finding ways to better manage his health conditions and environment, Nick prevents his disabilities from dictating his life or fulfilling his purpose of selflessly helping others. This is clear to see by his commitment to supporting the local community and wider society, with the many achievements he’s obtained being recognised, locally and nationally, winning him an award at the prestigious “English Veterans Awards” and being named “Male Role Model of the Year” ‘21 and “Changemaker” of the Year ‘22.

In a bid to understand the workings of the mind, Nick studied Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mental Health First Aid and Neuro-Linguistics Programming, becoming a trainer and practitioner in all three. Armed with his lived experiences, professional skills in mental health and life lessons learned, Nick founded Talk Mental Health CIC, a social enterprise to; champion men’s mental health and advocating for the sharing of our lived experiences. From launching in May 2020, TMH has directly helped over 250 guys locally and hundreds of thousands, nationally and globally, through the videos Nick creates for social media. As someone who promotes hope through his messaging and embracing abilities over disabilities, Nick has completed countless charity fundraising work throughout his career raising over £125,000 for charities, through organising events such as; 1000-mile cycle for D-Day commemorations and the first Basra half marathon. Nick also ran successful mental health campaigns during 2018/19, creating hashtags #Realmentalk and #Timetolisten reaching over 250,000 around the world.

Through his challenges Nick has:

  1. Ascended Mount Snowden in a powered wheelchair, creating the first ever VR experience of doing so from a wheelchair user perspective
  2. Became the first disabled person to complete 96km of the Ridgeway National Trail in a wheelchair
  3. Completed a 385mile cycle on his specialised recumbent trike, from Margate to Lands End, Spent 10 days travelling Route66 with, Bike Tours for the Wounded, on a Harley Goldwing.

During these he’s had to overcome; heat exhaustion, debilitating chronic pain, mental struggles, failure, and homelessness, whilst navigating Covid and a severe lack of funding, however, regardless of this he has still found ways to
achieve them.

Nick runs countless presentations that train both the public and private sectors on the importance of mental health, disability and suicide awareness, accessibility, and inclusion, through sharing his own journey of overcoming adversity, adjusting to new challenges, recovery and beginning to learn how to best live his life once more.

He has gained experience and a respected reputation, through his previously delivering to; businesses large and small, global and regional, universities, networking events and small local community functions. The feedback he receives, always includes words such as, Authentic, Inspirational, Thought Provoking, Empowering, Life Changing and Educational/Informative; demonstrating that Nick’s talks are suitable for a wide range of demographic groups and can always be made relatable to the specific audience.

Public Speaking
From surviving suicide attempts, learning to manage with Complex PTSD, Depression, Suicidal thoughts, and physical disabilities, to his personal growth, development, and journey of recovery. Nick can adapt these lived experiences to speak on a multitude of topics, more specifically connected to Suicide, Mental Health, Change, EDI, Disability and

Post Traumatic Growth, ensuring to meet all your specific requirements.

Mental Health and Disability – Providing a general overview of mental health and disability, the impact they have on the individual, the workplace and how others can best support someone with mental ill health and/or a disability, plus the importance of us as individuals, accepting responsibility for and taking ownership of, our own wellbeing and how we manage it.

Disability in the Workplace – Helping organisations to benefit from embracing inclusion, what this looks like and how to identify the strengths and abilities of someone who has a disability. Talking specifically about how to make the necessary adjustments in your organisation, ensuring you implement any specific training correctly, to benefit from maximum effectiveness, and how to best communicate and support those with mental ill health and a disability.

Suicide Awareness and Prevention – Suicide remains to be one of the most challenging and taboo topics in the workplace and wider society, where arguably the associated stigma still results in the loss of life. Each death is one too many and can impact 135 people on average and attempted suicide numbers are estimated by the NHS to be 140,000 and so much work remains to be done. Nick has unique knowledge which any organisation would benefit from, with lived experience of attempted suicide and battling with suicidal thoughts, in addition to experience of helping others, whilst navigating the system.

Transition & Change – Following a successful 14-year career in the military, Nick faced a traumatic decade long journey of transition, within a society which had become alien to him compared to the military. Then on becoming “newly disabled”, has once again had to adapt to life being in a wheelchair and the restrictions which come with this. However,
he has become a successful and integral part of society, a well-known and respected member of his local community and entrepreneur.

My Journey – Nick has had a tumultuous life to date, from living on the streets at the age of 16, starting his first business at the age of 17 and joining the Army, to building two successful businesses on leaving the military, launching a men’s support group and forging a new career as a speaker and presenter.

Nick’s ‘cheeky chappy’ persona reflects a friendly, humble guy whose speaking style is authentic, open and powerful. His wealth of personal, practical, and professional experiences over 25 years guarantees a direct impact on those he speaks to, inspiring and empowering everyone he meets.

Nick’s ‘cheeky chappy’ persona reflects a friendly, humble guy whose speaking style is authentic, open and powerful. His wealth of personal, practical and professional experiences over 25 years guarantees a direct impact on those he speaks to, inspiring and empowering everyone he meets.

Fran Nicolaou

Fran Nicolaou
Sessional Youth Worker

Fran is one of our amazing youth workers who helps run the youth sessions on a Friday night.

Her role plays a vital part in engaging and supporting young people during specific sessions or programs. This flexible and dynamic professional brings enthusiasm and expertise to create a positive and inclusive environment for youth.

The sessional youth worker contributes to the holistic development of young individuals. Their part-time commitment allows for adaptability and a fresh perspective, ensuring that each session is tailored to meet the unique needs and interests of the youth they serve. Through their dedication and passion, sessional youth workers make meaningful contributions to the well-being and growth of the young people they interact with