We are just starting a new academic year and for a lot of young people September can feel positive: seeing friends again, an exciting fresh start, with new opportunities stretching ahead of them. But for those like Ella**, for whom school seems like the location of their acute anxiety, going back to school feels overwhelming...
We have been asked by several educators in the Primary sector to develop a resource for younger children. We know that there is a growing need for mental health support for under 11's and that CAMHS is struggling to meet the increased need. We want to prevent more children and young people from reaching crisis point. Therefore, equipping pupils with practical tools, to help them manage and decrease their anxiety levels ahead of the leap to secondary school, seems a sensible development and worthwhile opportunity for The Haven.
In the summer term we completed a mini-pilot scheme with 2 small groups of Year 5 & 6 pupils in 3 primary schools. This has helped us shape our plans and we have already started work on a bespoke programme to fit the needs of this age group. We aim to trial our new resources in the Spring Term 2024.
But here is the challenge: The Haven is reaching a critical level of need for funding. It’s tough to find funding and because we work in schools (which means that the large funders such as The National Lottery and local government funds will not financially support our work) combined with our Christian identity, makes it even tougher to source sustainable funds. If we don’t secure additional funding soon, we will have to significantly scale down the level of support we can provide and pause the development of resources, like the new opportunity we have in Primary Schools.
In the last academic year Haven small groups have supported 104 young people in 12 schools, actively helping them to build their mental resilience. Focusing on those who struggle with acute anxiety, we have provided practical tools and resources to enable young people to manage their anxiety and so break free from what can be a severely life-limiting experience.
We know that what we do is making a real difference. In a poll of recent participants, 62% reported a significant rise in their wellbeing scores* and 90% saw a continued drop in their anxiety levels 4 weeks after the end of the Schools Course. We know that the young people appreciate what Haven provides, 98% of them would recommend us to their friends. We were recently approached by a mum whose son completed our Haven Schools course in Harpenden, who thanked us saying:
“Haven made all the difference for our boy.”
So, this September & October we’re reaching out to our supporters and local churches with our “Back to School, Back to Hope” campaign. Until the end of October, any donations we receive will be doubled by our wonderful Pledge Donors who have promised £3000 for our pledge pot.
This means that any donations (up to £3000) we receive, until the end of October, will be doubled. Therefore, if we raise £3000 our Pledge Donors will double that to £6000 and with gift aid that could be a total of £7,500.
With that money we can continue to reach more secondary schools with our Haven Course, we can keep on running our local support groups, such as the one we run in Harpenden and the group soon to open in St Albans, as well as develop those much-needed Haven Primary resources.
We’re so thankful for all the support you’ve already given. Please consider helping us again, because by giving to us in September/October your gift could double. And if you signed up to become a regular donor, you would help us to significantly expand the work of The Haven:
£10 a month would buy wellbeing care packs
for 8 children annually, whilst
£25 a month could enable a young person to
attend a local support group for a year.
One of our participants recently told us:
“The Haven group has been one of the very few times in the week where I am able to relax and talk to others that are in a similar situation. I have been able to learn coping mechanisms to help relieve my anxiety and the activities have also helped me to have fun and relax.”
Please help us to reach more young people who desperately need these safe spaces in their schools and communities, so that going back to school can be a time of hope and not fear or panic.
* All our groups use the CORE-10 evaluation tool, which was developed by the Anna Freud Centre for Child Mental Health
**Ella's name has been changed to protect her identity