About

The Empowered to be YOU programme is focused on releasing greatness within our youth. We aim to empower our youth through love and support by offering skills that will help create the best foundation for adulthood.

Everyone has a need for a sense of belonging. For our youths, this is coming at a high price. The youths in our community are lacking identity and purpose. Young lives lost to gangs, sexual exploitations, substance abuse, mental health issues and for others, suicide.

In February 2019 a report presented by the BBC estimated that there are over 27,000 children in gangs’ (Source: Children’s Commissioner for England/British Crime Survey).

ONS figures reports growing numbers of teenagers in England and Wales are killing themselves, official figures show, sparking fresh concern about the deepening crisis in young people’s mental health. There were 177 suicides among 15- to 19-year-olds in 2017, compared with 110 in 2010 and more than in every year since then except 2015, when the toll was 186, the Office of National Statistics data shows. (Source: The Guardian Sept 2018)

In 2016, 24 per cent of pupils reported they had ever taken drugs. This compares to 15 per cent in 2014.The likelihood of having ever taken drugs increased with age, from 11 per cent of 11-year-old to 37 per cent of 15-year olds. (Source: NHS Digital – Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, Feb 2018)

Those aged 16 to 19 and aged 20 to 24 were significantly more likely to be victims of sexual assault in the last 12 months than any other age group. (Source: ONS – Sexual offences in England and Wales: year ending March 2017 – Analyses on sexual offences from the year ending March 2017 Crime Survey for England and Wales and crimes recorded by police.)

This Stat will continue to be on a rise until we take collective responsibility for the future of our children. More support is required to accelerate the work of many organisations trying to combat violence amongst our youth.

It therefore remains increasingly heart breaking to see that majority of our youths have faulty or challenging foundations, with very small numbers of role models in the society to guide them through the formative and crucial stage of their lives. This is the reason the E.T.B.U (Empowered To Be You) programme initiative has been set up to help support families bridge this gap.

Founders of You Programme have a vast amount of experience ranging from Family Support, Youth Work, Mentoring Youth, Outreach, Mental Health, Counselling experience.