Funded by the Dukes Foundation, London Youth’s Good for Girls programme offers young women and girls from Black, Asian and/or from minority ethnic communities access to relevant, holistic early intervention mental health support in trusted grassroots community youth spaces.
Applications for Good for Girls are now closed. We have successfully recruited 10 youth organisations across London to deliver the Good for Girls programme in 2024-25. With an incredible demand of applications, we are excited to provide more opportunities to support young girls and women’s wellbeing and mental health.
The need
Young people’s mental health and wellbeing is in crisis, with increasing numbers of young women needing help with mental health issues – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In a society where 70% of young women always or often feel stressed, compared to 54% of young men (Princes Trust Youth Index 2024), the urgency to support young people cannot be overstated. The statistics paint a grim picture – a rise in mental health issues means many young women are facing depression, anxiety and feel isolated. It’s a concerning trend that demands action.
What’s more, people from black, ethnic and minoritised communities are more likely to experience a mental health issue, are less likely to access support and more likely to receive poorer outcomes when they do get support. ‘Race and Mental Health,’ The Unmistakables Report for Mind (2022)
“Good for Girls gave this young person confidence when discussing their emotions, something they had struggled with in the past. Good for Girls gave them an opportunity to take up a leadership role in shaping the social action project and become included amongst their peers. The young person, continued attending the sessions throughout the school year and began to form friendships in the youth club that made her feel more stable and less reliant on staff reassurance” – Youth Practitioner, Marys Youth Club
Our renewed commitment to girls
The new and improved Good for Girls programme is set to reduce the number of young women from Black, Asian and/or from minority ethnic communities requiring referrals to specialist services – and instead feel able to turn to their youth worker for this vital, early intervention support.
Through the programme, girls across London will engage in positive sport, movement and arts activities to improve their wellbeing, and participate in regular ‘talking circles’ focused on creating a safe space for young girls to talk about their feelings (a successful bespoke product designed by Teen Yoga Foundation in the previous iteration of Good for Girls).
Good for Girls aims to empower young girls and women into leadership roles too, as they engage in social action and peer mentoring to better support one another in their organisations and local communities.
At the same time, we will upskill and invest in our trusted youth practitioners to better support young girls’ wellbeing and mental health.
Check out the pilot of the Good for Girls programme.
Programme structure
The programme delivery will run from June 2024 – March 2025 – subject to completing due diligence, organisations are able to begin delivery in July 2024.
Each organisation will:
- Receive up to £5,500 per project.
- Enrol a minimum of 2 youth practitioners to complete mandatory, high-quality mental health training across the programme lifecycle. (see key dates below).
- Recruit 15 young girls from Black, Asian and/or from minority ethnic communities (aged 10-14) and support them in a minimum of 24 weeks of positive arts, movement and sports activities.
- Of the 15 recruited, 5 young girls will be empowered to become leaders, designing and leading a social action project with a mental health focus that will make a positive difference amongst their peers and wider communities.
- 5 older young girls and women (aged 16+) should be recruited separately and trained to become peer mentors. Attending extensive half term training and embed their learnings back into their youth organisations.
Key dates
Good for Girls will be delivered between June 2024 until March 2025.
*Please note, we will be unable to accept applications if the below dates cannot be attended.
- Induction Day: 3rd July 2024
- Youth practitioner mental health training: MANDATORY
- Engaging young women from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities – 10th July (online) 2024
- Teen Yoga Talking Circles: Workshop 1: Week commencing 15th July 2024
- Fitzrovia Youth in Action Train the trainer: Peer mentoring workshop: 6th & 8th August 2024
- Feeling Social MHFA Training: Workshop 1: 21st & 22nd August 2024
- Feeling Social MHFA Training: Workshop 2: 26th & 27th August 2024
- Haptivate Mental health training: September 2024 – February 2025
- Teen Yoga Talking Circles: Workshop 2 – 8th & 9th October 2024
- Peer mentoring training for young people: MANDATORY
- Fitzrovia Youth in Action: Peer mentoring workshop 1 – 31st Oct & 1 Nov 2024
- Fitzrovia Youth in Action: Peer mentoring workshop 2 – 20th Feb & 21st Feb 2025
- Sports, movement and arts and talking circle delivery: July 2024 – March 2025
- Social action delivery: July 2024 – March 2025
If you have any questions, please email ash.field@londonyouth.org
Funders and partners
Good for Girls is funded by the Dukes Foundation and delivered in partnership with Haptivate, Teen Yoga Foundation, Feeling Social and Fitzrovia Youth in Action.
