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To donate to Youth At Risk, please go to

Or write to:

Youth At Risk

The Old Warehouse

31 Upper King Street

Royston

Herts SG8 9AZ

If you want to donate by phone then call 01763 241120Ìý

When Nick's listeners tell him they’re having a hard time, he wishes there was more he could do. There are young people out there who are stuck in destructive cycles, struggling to break free of bad influences like violence, drugs, alcohol or the results of broken down relationships. That’s why he's fronting this appeal for Youth At Risk.

When we were shooting, Nick met Paige. He thought she had an amazing story, and has overcome so much. She grew up in care and fell in with the wrong crowd. She came across Youth At Risk just at the right time to change things around, and had to do a lot of growing up very fast. Today she’s an inspiration, and their day in the park together made it clear that this is a charity that can really make a difference.

Our day with Nick was really enjoyable, he is behind their great work and believes they deserve your donations. This Lifeline appeal will do the young people they represent a lot of good. Imagine that it’s your little brother or sister that needs a helping hand, and there are people who can help but they need a bit of cash to do it. Why wouldn’t you?! Watch the film and donate today.

“Youth at Risk is the best thing that I have ever done, I believe
that the course actually saved my life."

Youth at Risk work with young people across the UK who are in challenging circumstances,
have had a difficult start in life and are at risk of taking a destructive
path.

Youth at Risk's personal development approach is designed to get to the core of why life isn't working out, that's why the results we get are profound and long-lasting. We treat causes rather than symptoms.

Youth at Risk don't accept easy answers from any of the 18,000+ young people who have participated on programmes across the UK. We set the bar high, our trainers are rigorous but compassionate. Twenty years later our graduates still attribute their change to Youth at Risk.

And we get extraordinary results. 66% of those out of work find employment. Crime is reduced by 75%. 96% increase self-esteem. 65% raise educational attainment. Financial analysis shows that for every £1 spent on a Youth at Risk programme there is an average £3 saving to the public purse.

Donating to Youth at Risk means that more young people like Paige and Dave across the UK have the opportunity to transform their lives in a sustainable and positive way. By supporting and investing in our future generation we become part of the
solution. Thank you.

Paige is seventeen and is working hard at her summer job at a local theme park. But getting here hasn’t been easy. When Paige was born, her mum was only fifteen, and she had her own issues to deal with.Ìý Home life was fraught with rows, and Paige was bullied at school for her skin colour.
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"I was diagnosed with depression when I was fourteen. I was angry at people that was hurting me and no one was listening to me. I started being anti-social and kept on running away.ÌýÌý I got in with people who were drinking that were older and stayed out late getting in trouble."

Things got really bad for Paige. She was truanting from school and even self-harmed. But then she heard about a charity that helps young people to find their way, no matter how far off track they’ve travelled.

"The five day intensive is very hard because you’ve got to be ready to change. You get paired with a coach and you have to work with them and try and get an understanding of how you feel about yourself."
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Paige’s turnaround shows how much Youth at Risk can do. The young people on the charity’s programmes increase their ambitions, refocus on their education, or start a job.

Dave was one of the early Youth At Risk recruits back in the 1990s in South London. He is now 37 and lives in Cornwall with his partner and baby daughter. But the young Dave had some big demons to fight.

"I’d been bullied early on in my life and I’d actually become what I hated most, which was a bully. My family had a reputation where I come from, and I felt like I had to live up to it. Also my mum - at that time she was quite ill - mental health problems and suicide attempts. So growing up that was quite difficult to deal with."

Dave had a history of offending, but then saw a poster for a Youth at Risk course in the police station:

"I began for the first time speaking about my mum. There was a lot of tears and a lot of anger as well … It’s about realising that I shouldn’t blame myself. I’ve had bad things happen but it’s up to me how I deal with the future."

Dave is now a Youth at Risk ambassador, giving talks and helping out on their courses across the country.

"Thinking about my life without Youth At Risk, I think I'd have had a lifetime of prison or I’d have probably been dead. So yeah, Youth at Risk really did save my life.