TeamWork
Thanks to funding from the Premier League and Living Well we are able to offer free 1:1 wellbeing sessions for up to 12 weeks, for young people aged between 8-25.
A young person can receive up to 12 weeks of 1:1 support from our in-house Wellbeing Practitioner, with sessions focusing primarily on self-esteem, coping strategies, emotional regulation, thought processes and goal setting.
Referrals are received from within the Aston Villa Foundation and participants that attend Aston Villa Foundation provision and sessions take place in the community, in school and at Villa Park.
Children in Need
With funding fully provided by Children in Need, the Aston Villa Foundation offers a mentoring and personal programme that supports young people most affected by Covid 19, due to the impact on their families, therefore are at most risk of poor attendance, attainment and aspirational futures.
Working with our dedicated Youth Mentor, the programme aims to improve the education attendance of the young people involved in the programme, improve the educational attainment of the young people, due to their increased attendance, and improve the soft skills of the young people, to support them with their personal and long-term development.
The mentoring programme is free to all young people and schools, with sessions taking place in the school environment for ease of young people to attend. There is extra support for young people who are disengaged from school, which is community focused – local to their homes or safe spaces.
SAFE
SAFE (Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed) is a Department for Education-funded programme aiming to get upstream of serious violence by tackling the education indicators that are also associated with a young person being more at risk of involvement in serious violence.
Working with our dedicated SAFE Mentors, young people can be offered different levels of 1-to-1 or group mentoring, depending on the individual needs of the young people.
Young people are identified for mentoring through their school, who may log educational indicators such as persistent or severe absence, exclusion or risk of exclusion, disengagement due to behaviour. Schools may also log suspected or known involvement in offending, risky peer groups, family issues (including domestic abuse, family offending, parental separation, parental drug and alcohol use, parental mental health issues etc.), SEMH or SEND, bereavement or other trauma.more info on DFE website. Our funding comes via Core & Co Foundation.
Villa Intervention Programme
As part of our Premier League Kicks sessions, we also run a mentoring initiative aimed at using sport and youth work to have a positive influence on young people who are on the cusp of offending and/or are known youth offenders.
The Villa Intervention Programme (VIP) works with young people on a one-to-one basis to provide guidance, offer support and create opportunities for young people to move onto a positive pathway.
The primary aim of VIP is to ensure that young people do not reoffend and learn key life skills that will help them with prospects.
EFL Trust Probation Programme
The Aston Villa Foundation supports the EFL Trust’s Probation Programme, supporting people within the probation service from ethnically diverse communities, who are keen to embrace positive change.
Funded through the HMPPS, the programme presents an opportunity to work with a dedicated mentor from the Foundation team to support individuals’ reintegration into the community, increase personal development to distance themselves from criminal activity and improve their engagement with the probations service.
Additional wrap around support is available including access to other activities with the Foundation.
The programme is free for participants with sessions taking place at both Villa Park and within community spaces.
