Free to Be Kids
Growing children's emotional health
Free to Be Kids
Growing children's emotional health
helps some of the most disadvantaged children in London to change their stories about who they are and who they can become.
All of our projects are about helping children with very limited experiences of nature or the countryside, the majority of whom have never been on holiday before or have no safe space to play outside in London, to get outdoors and enjoy the breathing space, freedom, and sense of possibility and joy, that a break away from home in the countryside can bring. Many of our children struggle to engage with more traditional forms of help. Families often distrust professionals and children arrive with very limited horizons, feeling they are somehow broken, 'a problem', or a failure.
We use adventures in the outdoors, residential breaks designed to build confidence and self-worth, one-to-one mentoring and youth leadership programmes, to support vulnerable children to feel included, proud and successful, often for the first time in a long time. In turn this transforms their capacity to believe in themselves, to reach their full potential, and ultimately to do better at school and in relationships with others. Free to Be projects are built around our belief that every child deserves to experience joy and adventure within their childhood. By getting a bit muddy, learning to care for animals, working together to build a raft and paddle across a lake, or camping out under the stars for the first time, we help children with limited expectations of themselves to see just how much they really can achieve.
We're a small but rapidly growing charity focused on doing the small things well. We build our programmes around the energy, creativity and dedication brought by large numbers of committed volunteers, and every year we receive thousands' of hours' of donated time, helping us create amazing childhood memories for children from extremely difficult backgrounds.
Free To Be
98% of young people we supported in 2018 showed an increase in social confidence or self-esteem. 82% showed a very significant increase.
99% developed new social skills, including better managing frustration or better trusting and working with adults.
100% of schools reported lasting changes in emotional wellbeing and behaviour, including children's increased capacity to work with others and improved belief in their own potential.
Jordan, aged 15
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Dylan's storyLast year Dylan (aged 9) told teachers that he and his mum had been made homeless and were living in a derelict warehouse with no water, electricity or heating. Dylan’s mum struggled with mental health problems and there were real concerns about neglect. Although they were soon re-housed, Dylan’s school were worried that Dylan’s view of himself was in tatters. He never felt brave enough to answer questions in class, had no friends at school, and when asked what he would like to be when he grew up, answered “someone else”. Dylan came on a Free to Be gateway project this summer. He was helped to feel brave enough to climb the leap of faith, worked in a group to navigate the woods at night, and lay by the campfire telling stories and sharing memories with the other boys in his group - something he would never have felt confident enough to do in school. Now matched to a Free to Be mentor whom he trusts having already met them during the residential, Dylan’s school are thrilled with his progress. He has made new friendships, presents as much more positive, and is doing much better academically.
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Meena's storyMeena (11)’s mum struggles with mental health issues. Meena has no contact with her father and her elder brother is in prison. Earlier this year Meena sent a note by text message, saying she wanted to commit suicide. Although attending counselling as a result, she would clam up not feeling able to speak, and school described her as regularly presenting as sad, alone, defiant and angry. Meena struggles with body image, and gets little or no exercise. Mum turned down the school’s offer of group support and school had reached a point where they could no longer cope. Meena agreed to trial coming on a Free to Be residential break in August 2018. On the first night she was too shy to join in a game of tag because she felt the other girls would laugh at her for not being able to run far. By the end of the week, the group cheered her on when she ran with them from one side of the football pitch to the other. It took our volunteers over half an hour to coax her into a kayak, but when she eventually risked it and paddled out into the lake, she was grinning from ear to ear. Immediately afterwards, she asked to phone home and proudly told her mum all about it. At the end of the week, Meena told us she had pushed herself to try so many new things and couldn't believe what she had managed to do. FTI funding would help pay for Meena to return on a year’s worth of follow up projects to build on the progress she’s made so far.
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About the role:This is an exciting opportunity to join our young, ambitious charity and play a key part in the quality of our summer residential programmes for some of London’s most vulnerable children. Your job will be to support the project team throughout our summer season, working in a range of roles, from caring for small groups of 5-6 children throughout their stay, to overseeing the catering on our projects, to eventually working alongside one of our full time staff members to lead a whole week-long project. This will involve managing teams of up to 15 volunteers, to oversee the wellbeing of up to 20 children and young people per project. We are particularly keen to encourage applications from those who can help us represent the lived experiences of our children through their own lived experience or background.
Jade's story
Jade (12) witnessed serious domestic violence whilst younger, has no contact with her Dad, and a very difficult relationship with her Mum. She had no friends other than online acquaintances, and hadn’t left the house socially in over a year, resulting in her only attending school for 20 days in 2017. Despite having a social worker, outreach worker and CAMHS worker, at huge cost, little change had occurred in years and there were real concerns about depression and risk of exploitation.
Despite her difficulties leaving the house, Jade agreed to trial coming on a week’s residential with Free to Be – simply as a break. Whilst with us she was part of a group for the first time in a year. She had close support from empathetic volunteers, learned to light a campfire, walk through the woods in the dark, and canoe across a lake. When she capsized, her new friends helped her out of the water. Instead of feeling stuck, angry and alone, Jade was helped to feel adventurous, included, purposeful and successful. By the end of the project Jade was smiling, no longer isolated and had made a good group of friends. She was supported to have fun, challenge herself in ways which felt manageable, and begin to talk through challenges rather than avoid them.
Spending over 60 hours’ of positive, affirming time with adults , equating to more than a year’s worth of social work or similar intervention, provided the intensive support Jade needed to begin to feel differently about herself and the world. Jade is now working with a mentor from Free to Be, whom she feels able to trust having spent time with them on the residential. She is keen to volunteer as a Young Leader, is attending a youth group local to her house, and is beginning to re-engage with school. Funding from FTI would allow us to extend our support to Jade to ensure the change sticks.
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Dylan's storyLast year Dylan (aged 9) told teachers that he and his mum had been made homeless and were living in a derelict warehouse with no water, electricity or heating. Dylan’s mum struggled with mental health problems and there were real concerns about neglect. Although they were soon re-housed, Dylan’s school were worried that Dylan’s view of himself was in tatters. He never felt brave enough to answer questions in class, had no friends at school, and when asked what he would like to be when he grew up, answered “someone else”. Dylan came on a Free to Be gateway project this summer. He was helped to feel brave enough to climb the leap of faith, worked in a group to navigate the woods at night, and lay by the campfire telling stories and sharing memories with the other boys in his group - something he would never have felt confident enough to do in school. Now matched to a Free to Be mentor whom he trusts having already met them during the residential, Dylan’s school are thrilled with his progress. He has made new friendships, presents as much more positive, and is doing much better academically.
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Meena's storyMeena (11)’s mum struggles with mental health issues. Meena has no contact with her father and her elder brother is in prison. Earlier this year Meena sent a note by text message, saying she wanted to commit suicide. Although attending counselling as a result, she would clam up not feeling able to speak, and school described her as regularly presenting as sad, alone, defiant and angry. Meena struggles with body image, and gets little or no exercise. Mum turned down the school’s offer of group support and school had reached a point where they could no longer cope. Meena agreed to trial coming on a Free to Be residential break in August 2018. On the first night she was too shy to join in a game of tag because she felt the other girls would laugh at her for not being able to run far. By the end of the week, the group cheered her on when she ran with them from one side of the football pitch to the other. It took our volunteers over half an hour to coax her into a kayak, but when she eventually risked it and paddled out into the lake, she was grinning from ear to ear. Immediately afterwards, she asked to phone home and proudly told her mum all about it. At the end of the week, Meena told us she had pushed herself to try so many new things and couldn't believe what she had managed to do. FTI funding would help pay for Meena to return on a year’s worth of follow up projects to build on the progress she’s made so far.
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About the role:This is an exciting opportunity to join our young, ambitious charity and play a key part in the quality of our summer residential programmes for some of London’s most vulnerable children. Your job will be to support the project team throughout our summer season, working in a range of roles, from caring for small groups of 5-6 children throughout their stay, to overseeing the catering on our projects, to eventually working alongside one of our full time staff members to lead a whole week-long project. This will involve managing teams of up to 15 volunteers, to oversee the wellbeing of up to 20 children and young people per project. We are particularly keen to encourage applications from those who can help us represent the lived experiences of our children through their own lived experience or background.
"Free to Be has really changed my life. The attention I got from the adults was just unreal. I could actually trust someone outside my family and that was really helpful. Before, I wasn’t really an outgoing person, but it's weird because now I’m motivated to do things - it unlocked that door for me."
Jordan, Aged 15
(Excluded from school age 13, now helping train our other Young Leaders)
