Every 22 minutes, a child under the age of 18 in the UK faces the unimaginable loss of a parent. This means that in every UK classroom, one in 29 children will experience the death of someone in their immediate family before they take their GCSEs.

Grief counselling can be costly and inaccessible, leaving young people to turn to unregulated and potentially harmful advice found on social media to process their grief. Without the necessary support, children who have lost a loved one or have a terminally ill relative disproportionately face negative outcomes. For example, 41% of young offenders had experienced bereavement as a child, compared to only 4% of the general population.

This is where Apart of Me comes in; we're on a mission to help millions of young people turn life’s biggest challenges like loss and trauma into inner strength. Through co-design, we developed a multi-award-winning mobile game that takes traditional bereavement-counselling techniques and transforms them into a magical 3D world. We also have a Guides service that supports bereaved young people to become peer mentors and help guide others through their grief.

We are revolutionizing grief support through both digital innovation and real-world community. Our impact is proven, for example, our multi-award-winning game has, to date, helped 168,579 users in over 50 countries. It continues to have very high ratings on the App Store (4.6*) and an independent evaluation demonstrated that it is helping vulnerable young people navigate the stormy waters of their grief journey. It is also recommended by leading mental health professionals and the NHS.

Employees, volunteers, and supporters of Apart of Me are participating in a Step challenge charity appeal to raise funds for Apart of Me. Collectively, we'll aim to walk 5,200,300 steps by 10 December - one step for every child who lost a parent as a result of the pandemic.

Our target amount is £10,000. Your support will make a significant difference in providing essential resources for young people facing loss and trauma.

Please support our mission to help young people everywhere feel less alone when their world is turned upside down.