Changing Futures

Our Changing Futures programme is for young people aged 11-18 and aims to help them experience positive mental health more often.

The service can be split into two; a face to face service delivered by 13 YMCAs in England and Wales; a website providing easy access to short videos on common issues such as anxiety, nervousness and loneliness.

The website has been designed to make it easy for you to find videos and information on some of the most common issues affecting young people’s mental health. Young people were involved throughout the design process, telling us the types and length of videos they like and the topics they’d like covered. We’ve also tested the site with our Youth Advisory Group, so we are confident you’ll love the finished product!

Changing Futures 

Our face to face service acts on the fact that young people tell us mental health is their number one health and wellbeing concern.

Based predominantly in an education setting but flexible enough to be delivered in the community, Changing Futures is based on any, or all, of the below:

1. Peer to peer education – recruiting, supporting and training young people to deliver key mental health information to their peers
2. Key Adult Education – equipping parents, teachers and youth workers to be able to better support young people with their mental health difficulties.
3. Counselling – providing counselling and other therapeutic services to young people who need additional support but who don’t meet the access criteria for NHS services.

Help Us

We rely on voluntary fundraising to deliver the programme and urgently need support to ensure this essential service continues to positively impact the mental health of the young people we work alongside.

If you are interested in supporting the Changing Futures fundraising campaign or are a YMCA or secondary school interested in the programme, then please contact Aaron.Flemons@ymca.org.uk