Watching the Olympics is inspiring isn’t it? And heart-breaking too. Watching Tom Daley win his gold medal after so many attempts was fantastic, but didn’t your heart ache for those that had worked so hard and just missed out having made a single mistake and couldn’t quite achieve their ambitions?

There are times we all miss out on achievements and ambitions in our personal and business lives. Where we can fail or fall. But the key at those moments is having the right people around us to support, encourage and help us to pick ourselves up and go again.

Transitions UK works with a whole range of young people with vulnerabilities and support needs across learning disabilities, care-leavers, young people at risk of offending or those with mental health and emotional needs.

Our new Affirm Project (mental health) has just launched in North London and will be working with thirty young people with mental health and emotional needs. We are aware that some of those vulnerable young people will have those needs because of other stuff they are dealing with and because of the way some of the people around them may be treating them.

We are also aware that young people who may have eating disorders, depression, chronic anxiety or suicidal thoughts often have those “presenting needs” usually because of other things going on in their lives or because of a personal back-story. It could be sexual orientation and how they have been made to feel because of that orientation; it could be they have experienced emotional or sexual abuse, bullying, peer pressure or even hate crimes. Or maybe it’s internal “stuff” going on in their heads. It could even be simply that there is no-one they feel they can turn to.

Transitions UK offers support to young people in need, whatever their backstory and whatever they may be feeling and why. Young people who have an LBGTQ+ orientation or body dysmorphia. Those who are dealing with abusive families or schoolmates or are just feeling they can’t cope and can’t compete. Our mentors and project support models offer encouragement and provide care, affirmation and practical assistance as well as therapeutic inputs to help young people survive and then thrive in order to achieve their ambitions.

We need mentors for our mental health project in North London and for all of our other projects too. If you want to help, are able to commit to our training programme, and are prepared to give an hour or two per week for at least a year, then do get in touch. Contact support@transitionsuk.org or call 01582 380620 or fill out the form on the website at www.transitionsuk.org/contact