"I'm so lucky to have had this chance. If I was the genie of the lamp, then I'd grant everyone the chance to go to the bush" - Wilderness Trail Participant 2007.
Recently press attention has been very much focused on a trend of youth crime that is impacting into the heart of our communities. At the Wilderness Foundation UK we are very much aware that we all must take responsibility for the impact of youth crime and we want to take positive steps to reverse this trend. That is why we have created The TurnAround Project.
Working with representatives from the Police, Connexions, Youth Offending Team and experienced Psychologists, Counsellors, Therapists and Educational Specialists, we have developed a nine month programme that will give young people the chance to break away from their troubled background and acquire the skills they need to make better choices for the future. The programme is built around wilderness trails, environmental and community workshops and one-to-one sessions with volunteer life coaches drawn from our local community. We aim to support them into work or further education at the end of the project and our vision is to enable them to peer mentor the next group of young people to come through the project.
If a young person reaches the stage where they are sentenced and detained, the average cost to the UK Tax payer is £40,000 per annum. A nine month placement on TurnAround will cost just £5,000 - and make a positive impact on the lfie of a young person at a most crucial time.
We have raised a significant amount of funding for the first year of TurnAround, through the generosity of the livery companies, financial institutions and individual fundraising efforts. However, we have a shortfall of £25,000 for the pilot project. Therefore, your support for this initiative is crucial to it's success.
We really do appreciate your support. Thank you.