Supporting young people vulnerable to criminal behaviour and exploitation

In this post:

The Luton Project
Support for people at risk of exploitation
Schools outside of Luton

Our mission is to support the mental health and emotional well-being of young people from Luton ineligible for alternative means of support or falling between the cracks in provision. These young people are often not eligible for typical avenues of support but are still very much in need. With a little early targeted support, they are likely to avoid the need for further intensive and costly intervention later on down the line.

The Luton Project

Our team deliver a holistic service with interventions tailored to the needs of each young person and group. Support typically lasts 6-8 weeks and is provided in the school environment.

Bespoke one-to-one mentoring
Group workshops
Advice, guidance & signposting
SEN friendly

We see amazing results

As a result of our evidence-based mentorship and support, the young people we work with develop the skills and resilience needed to thrive, bounce back from the challenges in life and experience growth in:

Resilience and self-esteem.
Improved emotional literacy.
Decreased worries, stress and anxiety.
Better communication and social skills.
Stronger friendships.
Mental health awareness.

Who this project is aimed at

This project aims to work with schools, social services, CAMHs, MAGpan and young people to support local young people at risk of or vulnerable to criminal behaviour and exploitation. This may be due to any of the following risk factors:

Disadvantaged backgrounds
Childhood adverse experiences
BAME backgrounds
Emerging mental health concerns
Low self-esteem and resilience

Eligibility criteria

Age 11+
Luton-based school or home address
At risk of exploitation, i.e. gang gang-associated behaviour
Referrals to be made by professionals

Luton Rising is the owner of London Luton Airport, and we are grateful for this grant from their community funding programme, which is managed by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation and supports us in running this project. View all our funders and how they help us.

Emotional well-being support for young people at risk of exploitation

Our projects focus on early, proactive and preventative measures. Research demonstrates that the earlier a young person gets help for their mental health, the more effective it will be.

We aim to provide support as early as possible to prevent individuals from falling into the river rather than waiting for their well-being to decline before pulling them out. At Bright Paths, we specialise in supporting young people who present with challenging behaviour, emerging mental health concerns and neurological disorders such as ASD and ADHD.

Bright Paths view all behaviour as communication; when a child begins acting out, exhibiting new behaviours or courageously breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and asking for help, we need to provide it.

Our current funded projects will be provided on an outreach basis through schools in our community.

Fully funded one-to-one mentoring and group workshops are available. Current workshops include:

Emotional regulation
Low-level anxiety
Resilience and self-esteem
Healthy relationships

Schools outside of Luton

As always, schools which are not eligible for current projects can buy into BrightPaths support packages at any time. Please get in touch if you would like to hear more about how we can help you.