During our November 2023 Trustee meeting, we were delighted to award 11 new grants for our Young Women’s Mental Health programme, totalling £992,895. We have committed £5 million in funding over five years (2021-2026) to help improve the mental health of young women (16-25) across the UK. Below we share a bit about these new grantees and their three-year grants.
The Blossom project, run by A Way Out, supports young women with mental health problems who have multiple unmet needs and disadvantages. Young women co-design the help they receive, addressing difficulties accessing mental health support. Our grant of £87,759 will help fund one-to-one support, including therapy, as well as weekly group sessions for the next three years.
Bright Futures NE helps girls and young women tackle challenges such as alcohol misuse, domestic abuse, unemployment, poor mental health and wellbeing, sexual abuse and exploitation. Their Supporting Minds, Empowering Sisters programme has been developed with the help of service users to address the barriers highlighted in accessing mental health support. Our grant of £91,200 over three years will help fund a young women’s mental health support worker to provide one to one help, facilitate peer support groups and run a weekly drop-in service.
Motherwell Cheshire promotes positive health and wellbeing by offering a range of educational and mental health services to hard-to-reach women. Their Inspire Our Community project supports women aged 16–25 struggling with their mental health. Young women have co-designed the programme to address issues that matter most to them. Our grant of £90,820 over three years will help fund counselling sessions, befriending opportunities and peer support through weekly positive activity sessions.
Preston Muslim Forum Limited offers culturally sensitive services, delivered in a multilingual environment. Through the Healing Hub programme, the charity will work with young women from the black and minority ethnic community with mental health problems who face multiple disadvantages and who have experienced trauma. Our grant of £91,150 will help fund one to one counselling sessions, along with workshops on topics including anxiety, stress and loneliness.
Mental Health Independent Support Team works with adults and children with mental health problems and their carers. The Elevate Her project will support young women aged 16-25 with mental health issues living in Bolton. The young women will be dealing with additional issues linked to deprivation and may also have experienced trauma as a result of domestic violence and sexual violence. The project will offer advocacy, talking therapies and counselling, self-help and peer support groups. Our grant of £91,104 over three years will help fund staff and other project costs.
Just Drop-In Youth Info and Advice Limited provides early intervention mental health and wellbeing support through a range of services including a drop-in centre, counselling provision, wellbeing activities and social groups. The Concentric Circles project will establish weekly young women’s therapeutic peer support groups in two locations for those 16-25 who are struggling with their mental health. Our grant of £87,166 will help fund this project for the next three years.
Getaway Girls supports young women in Leeds to build confidence and develop new skills in a safe and supportive environment. The charity works with vulnerable young women at risk of exploitation, young mothers, those care experienced, refugees and asylum seekers. Their Revive project supports young women aged 16-25 to improve their mental health by offering peer support groups, counselling and individual support. Our grant of £89,126 will help fund this project for the next three years.
Step 2 Young People’s Health aims to help young people live healthy lives by improving their emotional health and well-being. Working together with youth work charity Emerge, the Bolder, Braver, Stronger: Empowering young women in Bradford to grow and thrive project will offer a number of services including a mentoring programme, weekly group discussion and one-to-one counselling. Our three-year grant of £91,175 will help pay for staff and other project costs.
Step 2 and Emerge run weekly, mentoring and counselling sessions to young women. Credit: Step 2
The Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service provides access to specialised psychological therapies for disadvantaged women and girls in Leeds aged 16 and up to recover from trauma including abuse and sexual exploitation, offering women and girls with complex mental health issues counselling and therapy. Their Futures project will support 50 young women through psychotherapeutic support within a creative arts context, such as mixed media, poetry, clay work as well as one-to-one counselling. Our three-year grant of £91,015 will cover the cost of a therapist and general project costs.
Flourish NI supports individuals affected by human trafficking or modern slavery. The Journey to Independence project will target young women who have been trafficked to Northern Ireland from another country and also help fund a pilot to support young women in Hydebank Prison who are from Northern Ireland and have experienced human trafficking locally. The project will help 60 young women each year through employment of a mental health social worker. Our grant of £91,200 will support the projects for the next three years.
Women’s Resource and Development Agency is the lead organisation in a partnership project with two women’s centres and mental health charity Aware NI. They will deliver the Maternal Advocacy and Support project for young mums who are struggling with a perinatal mental health problem. The grant of £91,180 over three years will fund a mixture of practical and therapeutic support, staff and other project costs.
The Young Women’s Mental Health Grant programme 2024 will invite new applications from 13 May 2024 from organisations in England: North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and Northern Ireland. If you’d like to learn more about these grants or any of our grants, you can read more on Recent Grants Awarded. Visit Young Women’s Mental Health for more information on this grant programme.
Feature image of young women celebrating all their hard work on the Bite Back project. Photo credit: Bright Futures NE.