Young Lives Foundation Research

YLF (Young Lives Foundation)

"The Young Lives Foundation is an independent children's charity established in 2007, dedicated to delivering quality services tailored to ensure we achieve effective outcomes in the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people."

What the foundation do:

- Support young people through times of difficulty and distress
- Enabling their voices to be heard
- Assisting them to achieve their potential

Who they support:

- Looked after children/care leavers
- Children on the edge of care/children in need
- Young offenders/at risk of offending
- NEET (Not in education, employment or training) young people/young people disengaged in education
- Young people with mental health difficulties
- Families in need of support
- Young parents

How they support:

- Mentoring ad befriending
- Advocacy and children's rights
- Positive activities

YLF mission

- Affirm their identity and worth
- Champion their rights, needs and interests
- Promote their well-being and development

YLF website - http://ylf.org.uk

The New Directions Mentoring Programme

The Programme we are focusing our documentary on is 'The New Directions Mentoring Programme' which is a mentoring programme under the YLF.

"New Directions Mentoring Programme provides volunteer mentors to support young people at risk of offending or social exclusion to make a positive difference to their lives."

How referred?

Children can be referred through the medway council/ local authorities. Friends and families can also contact the foundation, however it has to be approved by someone is authority, i.e. social services, school, etc.

What happens?

Mentors meet weekly with the young people for a period up to six months to motivate and guide them towards the achievement of positive goals.

I feel that I was able to research into the foundation and programme quite well, even though there wasn't a lot to find about The New Directions Programme. I was able to find out key information that would be very useful towards the documentary.