​Making a lifetime of difference to children

Every day thousands of children face bullying, abuse, bereavement, family crisis, domestic violence, neglect and trauma. Despite this, only 6% of the annual mental health budget is spent on Children’s Mental Health Services.

For some children, life can be so unbearable that they have considered or attempted suicide. 90% of children referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services do not receive immediate support.

Place2Be will deliver a transformational mental health programme to provide 180 schools in London access to emotional support so that children will grow up with prospects rather than problems.

In partnership with Place2Be, the Appeal will:

• Equip London school leaders with the skills and knowledge to support their pupils’ emotional and mental wellbeing.
• Increase the qualified workforce through training and development so children in need are not turned away because of limited resources. This will not only impact on children’s wellbeing now but also that of a future generation of adults.

This partnership will make a lifetime of difference by giving children the potential to have happy, healthy and prosperous futures in a City that is better for all.

​Somewhere to go, something to do, someone to talk to

OnSide Youth Zones are a game-changer for young Londoners; with five new state of the art Youth Zones purpose-built in London to transform communities in areas of high deprivation, they will get young people off the streets and out of their bedrooms.

This partnership will change thousands of lives each year, creating a brighter future for young Londoners in the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Croydon, Hammersmith & Fulham and Haringey in a Better City for All.

The Youth Zones will give hope for the future for young people by providing resources and sessions to tackle issues such as mental health, crime, and employability prospects, by providing a minimum of 20 activities every evening - ranging from sports such as football, basketball, and boxing, to enterprise and employability, arts and music.

In partnership with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, OnSide Youth Zones will:

• Provide equipment and support young people with disabilities to enjoy a wide range of inclusive activities, increasing confidence, growing self-esteem and building
• Offer high quality mentoring, personal development and employability skills training to ensure young Londoners are future-ready.
• Partner local voluntary organisations to provide inspirational and developmental activities, helping London’s young people become happier, healthier, more economically successful adults.

​One life lost is one too many

Every day in the UK, 16 people die by suicide and every 6 seconds someone in crisis contacts Samaritans for help.

With calls to Samaritans helpline increasing by almost 40,000 per month over the last year, and workplace stress and anxiety on the rise, the need to understand and support good emotional health in everyone is greater than ever before. Samaritans will bring their expertise and a lifeline of support into the workplace to give employees the skills and confidence to support the emotional health of themselves and others.

In partnership with Samaritans the Appeal will:

• Create an online learning tool, in bite-size modules, to educate employees about emotional wellbeing and give them the confidence to manage situations in the workplace effectively.
• Develop a listening skills e-learning module giving people the skills to increase the quality of their conversations around emotional health through active listening.
• Recruit much needed Samaritans volunteers through a new volunteering programme for the workplace, which in turn benefits the wellbeing and development of those participating.
• Support Samaritans’ service to ensure that it remains free and available 24/7 to meet the growing demand from more than 5.7m calls for help a year. Together we will create more supportive workplaces, families and communities so that no-one has to struggle to cope alone.