Youth2Youth

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Case study date: March 2007

Local authority in which project based: LB of Ealing

Date started: 1997

End date if not ongoing: ongoing

Type of organisation: Registered charity

Brief description

Youth2Youth (Y2Y) is a confidential national helpline run by young people for young people. It recruits young volunteers aged between 16 and 21 from the local community of Ealing, West London, and surrounding boroughs, and trains them to help young people aged 11 to 19 who feel they need emotional support. The helpline can be contacted by telephone, email or online chat. Experienced volunteers may become team leaders, providing support for other volunteers and liaising with the Board of trustees. Volunteers may also get involved in a range of other activities in line with Y2Y’s aims and objectives which provide further opportunities for personal development.

Collaboration

Y2Y was developed through a partnership between Ealing Youth Counselling and Information Service (part of Ealing Youth and Connexions Service) and the mental health charity MIND in Ealing and Hounslow. It became an independent company limited by guarantee in 2003 and secured registered charitable status in 2004. Ealing Youth Service provides Y2Y’s premises in Acton, West London.

Funding

Initial start up funding and support came from various sources including City Parochial Foundation, Bridge House Estates, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Tudor Trust and Lloyds TSB. A three year funding programme from the National Lottery ended in 2004. Running costs for Y2Y are £40,000 per year. It is currently funded by Connexions, the Youth Opportunities Fund, John Lewis Partnership and other trusts. The project also relies on charitable donations to train volunteers and support new developments.

Staffing

Y2Y employs three part time workers: a manager, an outreach development worker and a professional counsellor providing supervision to helpline volunteers.

NATURE OF PROVISION

Which groups of young people does the project work with?

Y2Y currently has a team of 50 male and female volunteers aged between 16 and 21, approximately 80 per cent of whom are under 18. Volunteers reflect the diversity of the local community and come from a variety of backgrounds, religions and cultures. Some are at school or university, and others are unemployed or in work.

How was the need for the project identified?

Y2Y began as a joint collaboration between Ealing Youth Counselling and Information Service, and MIND in Ealing and Hounslow, inspired by a visit to Israel to see a peer helpline in action. Following consultation with young people from West London, the service produced its aims and objectives. It was launched in October 1997 as a local telephone helpline for young people in West London.

How do young people become involved? what, if any, commitment do you ask for?

Opportunities are advertised via the local Volunteer Centre, do-it.org.uk, the Y2Y website and through schools and youth organisations across West London. Young people also get involved through the recommendation of friends who are past and present volunteers. The service also employs an outreach worker who visits local schools and colleges, running workshops on emotional health and well-being and encouraging potential volunteers.

Recruitment takes place three times a year. Information and application forms can be downloaded from the Y2Ywebsite.

The telephone helpline and online chat room services are open every Monday and Thursday evenings from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm. Most volunteers work a three hour session once a fortnight.

What are the main approaches used and activities offered?

Y2Y’s primary aim is to deliver a helpline service for young people by young people. In doing so it has developed an expressed commitment to the involvement of young volunteers, seeing volunteering as a two-way process which benefits volunteers and the organisation alike.

New volunteers undertake an intensive induction and training programme to prepare for their roles. This includes an initial training weekend using role play and group work activities to introduce volunteers to some of the issues they might encounter. This is backed up by a volunteer handbook, written by volunteers, covering all aspects of the role. A range of policies covering areas such as equal opportunities, confidentiality, and complaints allow volunteers to be clear about organisational practices and routes to redress. Information is available to volunteers in a range of formats including printed documents, the volunteers notice board and by e-mail. Volunteers also have a personal home page via the Y2Y website which they can log onto at the beginning of their shift and access information on call logs, attendance, handbook, policies and any news or messages. Volunteers are eased into their roles by answering e-mails before progressing onto taking calls through the helpline or hosting online chats through the Y2Y chat room.

In addition, volunteers frequently get involved in other tasks which support the work of the organisation and their own areas of interest. These include helping with fundraising, giving presentations, helping with IT maintenance and development and assisting in the training programme.

Experienced volunteers may become team leaders, taking on responsibility for administration during shifts and providing support for other volunteers. Additional ongoing support is provided by the Y2Y manager (a professional counsellor and youth worker) and the helpline supervisor.

How are young people involved in shaping the project/programme?

Volunteers are given genuine opportunities to participate in decision making processes within the organisation. Team leaders represent volunteers at Board meetings and volunteers are also involved in interviewing new recruits. There are also opportunities to raise issues informally, as one volunteer indicates: ‘if you want something changed you just need to say’.

How does the project respond to the needs of different young people, particularly the most marginalised?

Y2Y aims to involve volunteers who reflect the diversity of the local community and actively seeks to publicise opportunities in specialist settings such as pupil referral units as well as universal services and school based services.

The organisation is committed to ensuring the welfare of volunteers and takes appropriate measures to protect them from physical, financial and emotional harm. All volunteers are provided with the necessary safeguards through Y2Y’s child protection policy and are covered under public liability insurance (including professional liability and theft of personal belongings while volunteering).

Y2Y responds to the volunteers’ varying support needs through close supervision on a day to day basis as the work takes place. A full debrief takes place after every call and concerns are shared with the manager who provides appropriate support. Support and supervision arrangements ensure ‘…you don’t get affected negatively by what you hear’ and ‘… they [staff] will help you if you have a problem of your own’.

Many volunteers have experienced emotional difficulties themselves and find working on the helpline cathartic and supportive.

OUTCOMES OF WORK

How does the project contribute to the five Every Child Matters outcomes for young people?

Y2Y contributes to two outcomes in particular:

Making a positive contribution – through offering opportunities for young people to get involved in decision making and providing support to their peers in a voluntary capacity.
Be healthy – helpline services offer young people support and advice on how to deal with a range of problems, particularly those relating to sexual health, emotional well-being, relationships and self image. Over 10,000 young people have received support through the service to date.

What skills and other benefits do young people gain through their involvement in the project?

The volunteers’ personal development is central to Y2Y’s practice. Volunteers are trained in skills that enable them to help callers with a range of concerns. In particular, they develop skills in listening and helping young people to help themselves. They increase their knowledge of issues affecting young people and broaden their understanding of society more generally. Experienced volunteers have opportunities to develop leadership skills through taking on team leader roles. Volunteers also highlight how their involvement has the potential to benefit their future careers and develop a sense of altruism; ‘you’re more motivated as a volunteer and care more than if you’re paid’.

How are young people's progress and achievements celebrated, measured and recorded?

Regular supervision and support sessions provide opportunities to monitor volunteers’ personal development. Y2Y recognises the work of volunteers with certificates, birthday cards and parties, and through external award ceremonies. Some volunteers use the experience to gain Duke of Edinburgh and other youth awards.

What has changed for other young people, organisations or the wider community as a result of the project?

Through Y2Y other young people can access peer support which helps them address a variety of problems, the most common being sexuality, emotional well-being, sexual relationships, and self image. Y2Y provides the community with a large number of young people who have newly developed, transferable skills, and experiences which help develop altruism.

Y2Y’s outreach worker delivers workshops on emotional health and well-being in local secondary schools. These raise awareness of issues around mental health, and help students develop coping strategies.

Y2Y has also helped shape other national helplines through e-mail and online help.

MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS

How is the project evaluated and by whom?

Volunteers leaving Y2Y complete a detailed exit questionnaire as part of the internal evaluation of the project.

Thames Valley University carried out a formal evaluation of the service prior to its introduction of an online chat service.

What are the findings of any evaluations to date?

In 2005 Y2Y won the Philip Lawrence Award and, more recently, the Children and Young People’s Services Award 2006 under the Growing up Healthy category.

Y2Y’s commitment to involving volunteers in its work is recognised through Investing in Volunteers award (IIV). Assessment undertaken in November 2006 concluded that Y2Y met a range of indicators demonstrating that their volunteer management meets established UK standards. Key strengths were noted as:

The understanding that young volunteers will personally benefit while giving their time to support other young people is fundamental to the organisation.
A thorough and fully supportive induction.
The level at which volunteers are involved in the decision making processes of the organisation is exemplary.
The quality of support and supervision appear to be based on a good investment in getting to know the volunteers as individuals.

What has worked well and why?

Listening to the views of volunteers and allowing them to put their ideas into action has been key to the success of Y2Y.

What has been difficult and why?

The transition from being a partnership organisation to independent charitable status was a long and complicated process.

PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC IMPACT

What other agencies do you work with ?

The project works with the Youth Service, schools and universities. It also works closely with Ealing Volunteer Centre and holds regular meetings with other helpline organisations.

What specific experience and expertise does your organisation bring to partnership work?

Creating an organisation from the initial concept to providing a service has given Y2Y a unique insight into setting up young people led projects. The project recognises that young volunteers are an invaluable asset and has developed expertise in working with them to help shape an organisation.

How do you consider this project to be innovative?

Y2Y was the first national helpline for young people run by young people, acting as a trail blazer in allowing similar organisations to set up.

How do you disseminate the learning from the project?

Volunteers and ex-volunteers publicise the project at local universities
Celebration events
Local and national press, including specialist press (Young People Now, Youthaction magazine)
National awards schemes

What plans do you have to sustain/develop this work?

A three year development plan details the planned growth of the organisation. This includes plans to expand the service to five nights per week and establish helpline centres in two other cities. The project is currently looking to identify potential partners for this purpose.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Helpline: 020 8896 3675
Website: www.youth2youth.co.uk
Other correspondence through e-mail to office@youth2youth.co.uk