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FLOW program

Unity FLOW: Mentoring, Support & Accredited Training | Youth Unity
FLOW · London Borough of Bexley

FLOW: support that moves you forward

A free programme for young people aged 11 to 19 in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead. FLOW brings together 1:1 mentoring, positive activities, mental health and wellbeing support, and accredited training, so young people at risk of exclusion, exploitation or being out of education, employment or training can build a better future.

100% free. Covering Abbey Wood and Thamesmead in the London Borough of Bexley.

Proud to be funded by GO! London: funded by the Mayor of London, London Marathon Foundation, The National Lottery and Sport England, in partnership with London Sport and London Marathon Events London Borough of Bexley
Ages
11–19
Mentoring
1:1
Courses available
50+
Cost
100%
What is Unity FLOW?

Four things every young person deserves

FLOW is a targeted programme from Youth Unity for young people in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead. Each letter stands for one part of the support we wrap around a young person.

  • Future

    Clear pathways into education, training and employment.

  • Life skills

    Accredited modules on ambition, decision-making and employability.

  • Opportunity

    Physical activity, gym, creative media and podcasting.

  • Wellbeing

    Trauma-informed mentoring, confidence and a sense of belonging.

The support we offer

Support built around you

Every young person on FLOW gets support shaped around their needs, from people who take the time to understand them.

1:1 mentoring

Each young person is matched with a trauma-informed mentor who brings professional and, often, lived experience. Mentors meet young people regularly, one to one and in small groups, building a trusted relationship at a pace that feels right.

Together they set goals, work through what's getting in the way and celebrate progress. Mentors also link with schools, families and other professionals, so support is joined up rather than pulling in different directions.

Positive activities

Regular positive activity gives young people a safe place to be, people to belong with and something to look forward to. FLOW includes physical activity and gym sessions alongside creative media and podcasting.

These sessions build fitness, discipline and teamwork, and they're often where confidence grows fastest. They offer a real alternative to the pressures and risks young people can face outside school.

Mental health & wellbeing

Emotional wellbeing runs through everything we do. We offer safe spaces to talk about difficult issues, with youth workers who recognise the impact of trauma and adversity and respond without judgement.

We help young people understand and manage their feelings, build resilience and self-esteem, and, where needs are higher, we help them reach the right specialist services.

Opportunity & next steps

FLOW opens doors. Young people can gain accredited qualifications through our free online training, with modules on ambition, decision-making and employability, and certificates they can add to their CV.

Mentors help young people plan their next step, whether that's returning to school, starting college, training or a first job, and stay alongside them as they make it.

FLOW is referral-led. We work with schools, alternative provision, youth justice, social care, Peabody and community safety partners. Young people, parents and professionals can all get in touch.

Make a referral
Accredited online training

Four steps to your certificate

As part of FLOW, and open to everyone in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead, our free online training has no entry requirements and no paperwork. Apply today and you could be learning within days.

  1. Complete the form

    Fill in the short application form and pick the courses you'd like to take.

  2. Get your login

    We'll email your login details so you can access the learning platform.

  3. Learn online

    Work through your training online, at your own pace, from any device.

  4. Download your certificate

    Finish a course and download your accredited certificate straight away.

Training areas

Over 50 courses. Choose as many as you like

Complete your chosen courses, then reapply for more whenever you're ready. Every course is accredited and comes with certification.

Safeguarding & Compliance

15 courses
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025) Part 1
  • Safeguarding Children (Level 1)
  • Safeguarding Children (Level 2)
  • Safeguarding Children (Level 3)
  • Essential Health & Safety Training
  • First Aid Requirements & RIDDOR
  • Food Safety & Hygiene (Level 1)
  • Food Safety & Hygiene (Level 2)
  • Food Safety & Hygiene (Level 3)
  • PPE: Personal Protective Equipment
  • GDPR UK Essentials
  • Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
  • Drug & Alcohol Awareness
  • Suicide Awareness
  • Anger Management

Professional Skills

10 courses
  • Coaching & Mentoring
  • Communication Skills
  • Critical Thinking
  • Organisational Skills
  • Project Management Essentials
  • Microsoft Word: The Basics
  • Microsoft PowerPoint: The Basics
  • Building an Effective Marketing Plan
  • Content Marketing
  • Social Media

Personal Development & Wellbeing

8 courses
  • Confidence Building
  • Recognising Your Value
  • Positive Thinking
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Growth Mindset
  • Mindfulness
  • Budgeting
  • Navigating Change: Overcoming Challenges & Embracing Growth

New courses added all the time. This list is just the start. We're always adding more, including new confidence, wellbeing and anti-bullying topics.

More than a certificate

Training that opens real doors

Helping and empowering young people, boosting confidence and helping to build a positive future.

  • Confidence
  • Self-esteem
  • Dealing with bullying
  • Resilience
  • Wellbeing
  • Growth mindset
  • Strengthen job applications

    Accredited certificates you can list on your CV and applications to help you stand out.

  • A step towards a CSCS card

    Build the essential health, safety and compliance knowledge that employers ask for.

  • Grow your confidence

    Courses in confidence, self-esteem and recognising your value. Support for the whole person, not just the CV.

  • Learn at your own pace

    Flexible, fully online and free, so you can fit it around your life.

  • 100% Free
  • Online
  • Accredited
  • Certification Included
Ready when you are

Ready to find your FLOW?

Get in touch to find out more about FLOW or make a referral, or apply straight away for our free accredited courses.

Once you've finished your chosen courses, you can reapply for more, as many times as you like.

Prefer to talk? Call 0203 105 3525.

YOUTH UNITY

Unity FLOW · Abbey Wood & Thamesmead, London Borough of Bexley · Proudly funded by GO! London

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Young People of Erith

Through the outreach work we do on a weekly basis, we have the opportunity to meet a variety of different people that live and commute into the community. Through these engagements we have successfully established some firm relationships with people of all ages.

We have also built a reasonably good relationship with many of the youth that live in this catchment.

Many of these young people have gone onto partake in a number of additional projects that have been initiated within the Erith area.

Through this engagement we have supported three young men in particular. These young men, were invited to be part of our project “Project Point of View” a project sponsored by the property developers Dominvs.

We are confident that the summer of 2022 will hold many treasured memories for the young men that took part.

The young men from Bexley are always enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with. They often visit us on our regular outreach provision.

During the summer they able visited spaces such as the US Embassy, high end apartments, constructions sites and even had the opportunity to interview the CEO of the Dominvs group in a scheduled podcast.

For the group the highlight was a five day residential in Cornwall where they all took part in water rafting, paddle boarding, canoeing and they even jumped from twenty foot cliffs to overcome their fear of water and other limiting beliefs they had.

Two of the young men could not swim before the residential, and had a fear of water in general.

Successfully all of the group overcame their fears of water and took part in some of the most challenging activities involving water.

The transformation for these three young men and the wider group was amazing to witness and share with them. They also established life long relationships created by the intense team work and support they offered each other over the days away from their homes and their natural environments.

The overall project will have a long lasting impact on their lives and will promote a better understanding of how they can overcome challenges now and in their futures.

Projects such as the outreach in Erith is proof that being on the streets and meeting the people in the community at a grassroots level really does have an impact.

“touching people’s hearts through your work is the only job that you could do and nobody has to hire you for it.”

Youth Unity works to provide opportunities to young people. This is all made possible meeting local people and opening frank and honest conversations.

More information can be found on this link ...

The Boys representing Erith

microphone with a podcast icon on a table

Podcasting in the Community of Erith

Podcasting in the community of Erith. Delivered in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Interviews include some key people from the local area of Erith.

The podcasts are available to listen back to on our YUPOD via major platforms such as Spotify, iTunes.

Podcasting has become a popular way of addressing topics. It has become an important tool in communication. Podcasting can promote important discussions in a safe and comfortable environment. Many platforms that focus on podcasting as a medium are reaching audiences that were previously hard to attract.

Youth unity have used podcasting as a positive way of teaching young people that communicating effectively and raising awareness about topics that affect your immediate surroundings are a good way of creating change. 

The core focus of using podcasting as a medium is to enable people of all ages to share the experience of talking together irrespective of age, gender or ability. The outcomes are measured in the recordings and can be an effective way of bridging the gaps in our communities. 

The other benefits of using podcasting with young people is that it provides them with a new skill set that can be transferred into every aspect of their lives. Communication is the key to almost every career and the better you are at it the more opportunities are available. 

This podcast is working with AgedUk, based in Erith.  Whereby they run an amazing project called “Men in Sheds”.   The young people had some great questions to ask with some interesting thought provoking answers.  

https://www.meninshedsbexley.com/

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Christmas Fun Afternoon in Erith

Youth Unity hosted a special community Christmas event at the Exchange in the heart of Erith in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Also joined on the day by Act for Change and Bexley Moorings who work to support families in the area.

The event had a real sense of community, with cake and old fashioned triangle sandwiches, free refreshments and goodie bags for all the children, games and some dancing. Young people including parents got involved making paper stars which was led by Act for Change. The highlight was our grotto which made a real centre piece for Christmas, the community from all backgrounds got involved.

Through our outreach work we have connected with various members of the community who came along to enjoy the afternoon, despite to cold weather! Christina who is singing on the video is a 13 year old young girl, who clearly has an amazing voice and pretty sure she will go on to do great things.

The Exchange in Erith is a community space for everyone and this event gave the opportunity for the community to come along and be part of something positive.

Working in unity to bring people from all backgrounds and ages together!




HEYY Shirley, i just wanted to say that me and my sister had a wonderful time on Saturday, it was very nice and peaceful a lot of people had fun and I liked it aswell, you guys will be missed for the longest time until next year, erith is gonna miss youth unity, see you after Christmas 🎄!!

feedback from one of the young people who attended
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Erith Unity – Art Project

Bexley Community Safety Partnership (BCSP) worked closely with Youth Unity CIC, as part of an ongoing approach to reducing violence in the local area, through this funding Youth Unity worked to install an amazing piece of artwork into the community of Erith.

Youth Unity worked with a local artist and youth worker, Cizeone to create this amazing mural in Erith, which is located on the underpass beneath the bridge at Bronze Age Way, next to Bexley College. 

Youth Unity also engaged the local community payback team to assist us in preparing the area ready for the artist to commence the piece. This contribution was instrumental in giving the team a sense of pride in their local area and was quoted to say “how great it was to be part of something and have the local community come and talk to them instead of walking past”. 

The message is a very positive one and has already received great feedback from the local community.  During the creation of the artwork we successfully engaged with many people from the community that stopped to find out more about the artwork. 

Special thanks to the community payback team and all their help!

To follow the BCSP please go to:

Facebook – Bexley Community Safety Partnership 

Twitter – @BexleyCSP

Special thanks to the Community PayBack team for assisting us with the preparation of the wall.  The team where happy to be part of something that is part of the community.