Our Children and Young People’s team delivers a range of services, including prevention work, for families and young people living in the community.
The ‘Protect Our Women’ project is a community-based programme for young people in primary and secondary schools aged 10-25 years in Haringey. Young people in schools and youth clubs complete 10 AQA accredited workshops on the topic of Violence against Women and Girls. The programme engages young people in creative ways with a Champions programme supporting young people to take learning back into their communities.
Funded by the Big Lottery, the Hear2Change project works with young people in schools and community settings across Haringey and Islington with the aim of changing attitudes to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The project is led by a steering group of young women who meet regularly to decide on project priorities. The project also provides support to young people through workshops, assemblies and one to one advocacy work for those who have experienced, or are at risk of, violence and abuse.
On the back of the invaluable work with the steering group, a Young Change Maker group of young people has been set up to raise awareness of VAWG through empowering young people to present their experiences and ensure their voices are heard. This aims to equip young people with specific skills and introduce them to useful strategies (whilst building their confidence and knowledge) in order to design and deliver campaigns of their own. These will be presented in a variety of mediums of their choice (Art, Drama, Music, photography, poetry) and a range of audiences and venues (schools, libraries, community facilities).
Solace, commissioned by The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime MOPAC, has teamed up with Redthread, a London-based youth violence charity, to allocate Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs) in London’s three major trauma centres. Our IDVAs provide specialist support for young people aged 11 – 25 who are admitted into hospital due to domestic and/or sexual violence and abuse.
We have joined together with a number of partner organisations (led by Women and Girls Network) to support Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) children and young people (CYP) across London. Solace provides a CYP counsellor, a multidisadvantage advocate and a community engagement worker to provide support and therapy for CYP experiencing various forms of VAWG as well as raising the profile of VAWG with them.
We are also part The Lighthouse, UK’s first Child House, bringing together statutory and voluntary sector partners to address Child Sexual Abuse. This service ensures children are put at the centre and given the support they need to recover and rebuild their lives. Specially trained medical, advocacy, social care, police, and therapeutic support is delivered from one place, working together to provide a coordinated approach to supporting children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. The project is led by University College Hospital and NSPCC with Solace providing a vital role in the Advocacy team.
Listen to our Changemakers #GirlTalk to support #TheBigGive.
Some of our Changemakers made a video called 'Dear Dads', inviting fathers to join the conversation and be allies to their daughters. Watch below.
We also held a showcase of the young people's work at the end of 2022. Click below to see an overview.
Feminism to me, is the courage to stand up for women's rights.
(A Survivor)
