Community group receives more than £335,000 to support young people in South Tyneside
A South Shields community group has received £338,967 of funding from the National Lottery.
The team at Escape Intervention, based in South Shields, are celebrating after being awarded £338,967 of National Lottery funding over the next three years to support local children, young people, and families.
The organisation will be using the money to provide counselling for four to 25-years-old and their parents/carers.
Funding will also go towards anger/stress management sessions, resilience courses, self-care courses, peer mentoring opportunities, complementary therapies and activities for young people aged 11 to 18-years-old.
Escape Intervention was established in 2008 by Lynne Yousef and is operated by four staff and 25 volunteers/sessional workers.
Lynne founded the community group after she realised that there was a lack of provisions for counselling and mental health support to local families and their children.
She has stressed how important the work is that the community group carries out and given an insight in how the funding will help it going forward.
Lynne said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way.
“Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to continue with our plans to broaden the range of opportunities available to some of the most disadvantaged local children, many experiencing disabilities, and their parents/carers.
“This is important because it provides community cohesion as families become more functional, build positive relationships that produce healthier, happier children and bond with others with similar challenges.”
Escape Intervention runs around three to four sessions each week from its youth hub and in local community settings. These sessions are attended by approximately 400 local children a year.
These children join in with activities such as boxing, cycling, fishing, art/craft sessions, music sessions and social evenings where they can be themselves, away from social media pressures.
Outdoor adventurous activities operated by the community group include climbing, abseiling, kayaking, mountain-biking, fishing, ghyll-scrambling, walking, and more.
Escape Intervention also provides weekend residential experiences in places such as the Lake District, Northumberland, Yorkshire and The Borders to help young people relax away from the pressures of their daily lives.
You can find out more about the work that Escape Intervention carries out by visiting: https://www.escapeintervention.org.uk/.