Spring/Summer 2023 Newsletter
As a charity focusing on adolescent mental health and wellbeing, our tagline is that we’re ‘Here for Young People’. Of course, it’s much more than just a tagline. It’s about being present in a way that answers young people’s needs and helps them find solutions that work.
We know we can’t just take a guess at what those needs are, or develop services in a silo. So, some of the most important work we do is consulting and working with young people to make sure our services are valuable, effective, and accessible to everyone, especially those who are traditionally more difficult to reach.
A wonderful development in our young people’s involvement work has been an increasing focus on supporting their personal development. Often, when someone has experienced significant life challenges and had space to reflect on what’s important, they can then continue to grow going forwards.
One of our aims is to give young people a better understanding of what is within their control and what isn’t. By supporting them to release anything that is out of their control and to focus on their strengths and potential, we help them identify and embrace new and exciting opportunities.
Our Young Ambassador programme is a great example of this. It offers a supportive, innovative, and creative space for young people to volunteer on a chosen project and, at the same time, develop their leadership skills. Brandon Centre provides a safe space to help them work out who they are, what they want and need in life, and time to think and plan their next steps.
Time and time again our Young Ambassadors have shown how amazing their journeys continue to be into further studies and employment. Many of them come back to help us support the next generation of Young Ambassadors. We also provide important training opportunities across the charity for young management trainees and placements in our counselling services and family and parenting programmes for students training to qualify as clinical psychologists and psychotherapists.
I hope you enjoy reading about how we’re supporting the next generation of leaders as well as our other exciting Brandon Centre news, including how to help us win a Tesco Community Grant and a wonderful interview with our new young patron, comedian Grace Campbell.
Wishing you all a reflective and inspiring summer.
