The SNG #iwill Fund 2.0 – Wellbeing Champions Programme Grants
In October 2023 we invited applications for the first round of our Wellbeing Champions Programme. After receiving 76 applications we awarded just over £150k to 16 organisations across the SNG geography to deliver the programme.
Round 1
Read more about each of the first round's funded projects
Aspire Ryde’s Harmony for Youth project received £9,700.
Aspire Ryde will upskill 15 young people aged 10-20 to become Wellbeing Champions and act as peer advocates for mental health within their community. The Wellbeing Champions will lead on at least 2 youth social action projects relating to mental health and wellbeing aiming to raise awareness and inspire change within the community. The project will also empower an additional 50 young people through the therapeutic influence of music, mental health awareness and a focus on healthy lifestyles, and will finish with a showcase event where young people present the outcomes of their youth social action projects and perform original music.
Berkshire Youth’s Wellbeing Champions Programme received £9,833.
Berkshire Youth will upskill 22 young people from Year 8 and 9 (aged 12-14) to become peer advocates with a focus on the transition from Primary to Secondary school at the end of Year 6. The Wellbeing Champions will be empowered to share the knowledge they learn with their younger peers and will build a peer-support network, before leading on a sustainable youth social action project of their choice around this topic. They will also be able to gain a Level 1 in Youth Leadership through the project.
Beyond The Bias’ Mental Health Youth Board received £10,000.
Beyond The Bias will empower a group of young individuals to become Mental Health Wellbeing Champions and establish a Youth Mental Health Board that will lead the charge in creating positive change. The Board will research and explore mental health issues within their local areas before forming teams to develop and deliver their own youth social action project, addressing the local mental health needs. They will also be able to gain an OCL Level 1 Project Management qualification.
Building Her’s Building HERitage Wellbeing Project received £10,000.
Building her will empower young females and foster intergenerational wellbeing within the community by offering mental wellness and skill-building sessions and a spa retreat before the young people lead a youth social action project. They will collaborate in groups, creating projects for older people in the community and recording a podcast series featuring industry professionals. The project will conclude with a celebratory event highlighting the young people’s achievements.
Didcot TRAIN’s IMPACT Peer Mentoring Programme received £9,808.
Didcot TRAIN will establish a peer mental health and wellbeing mentoring programme where older students mentor younger children at their HQ, the Base, and within local schools. The programme includes training in mental health and wellbeing topics and team building exercises before the young people lead on a youth social action project of their choice, focused on mental health and wellbeing. The programme will conclude with a celebratory event organised by the young people.
Escapeline’s Peer Mentoring & Education Programme received £4,990.
Escapeline will establish a peer mentoring programme in the Bournemouth area where young people are trained to educate their peers on county lines before delivering a youth social action project of their choice, on this topic.
Exeter City Community Trust’s Preventative Wellbeing Project received £7,720.55.
Exter City Community Trust will upskill young people to become Wellbeing Champions focusing on localised youth and mental health support in their area before the young people lead on a youth social action project of their choice focused on preventative wellbeing. The project will include the support of 6 Peer Researchers from Exter City Community Trust’s PAC 2 Programme and engage in other community work within both the local and wider areas.
Find out more information about Exeter City Community Trust. 
Independent Arts’ Wellbeing Through Arts Project received £9,943.
Independent Arts will facilitate the space for young people to improve their own mental health and wellbeing, as well as others, through collaboratively creating artwork that creates natural conversations and discussions around mental health, wellbeing and youth social action. The young people will lead on creative youth social action projects that aim to make changes in their local community.
Me2 Club’s Metal Health Wellbeing Champions Programme received £9,487.
Me2 Club will support 15 young people to become local Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing Champions by providing training on specific mental health and wellbeing topics before supporting the Wellbeing Champions to lead on a youth social action project of their choice, which will then be reviewed a followed up accordingly. The project will focus on supporting young people with additional needs and disabilities specifically and will work with local SEND schools. Wellbeing Champions will also be given the opportunity to attend a Wokingham Borough Council meeting to share their views and increase youth voice within the area.
Pavilion on the Park’s YOUTH 4 YOUTH Project received £9,907.32.
Pavilion on the Park will train and support a group of older young people aged 15-20 years old to become Wellbeing Champions, who will then lead on activities for a group of younger children aged 10-13 years old. Both groups will then come together to lead on a youth social action project of their choice, focused on positive mental health and wellbeing.
Plymouth Sports Charity’s Can You Kick It – Plymouth Project received £10,000.
Plymouth Sports Charity will provide weekly training in sports, nutrition and youth social action and support young people to become Wellbeing Champions. The Wellbeing Champions will then lead on a youth social action project of their choice, focused on mental health and wellbeing, fostering skill development, confidence building and community engagement. The project will conclude with a celebratory closing ceremony to showcase the Wellbeing Champions’ accomplishments and acknowledge community support.
SMASH Youth Project’s Bridge the Gap Project received £10,000.
SMASH Youth Project will support a group of older young people in Year 10 to come peer mentors for younger students in Year 6, with a focus on barriers to attendance in secondary education and the transition to secondary school. Once the younger students have transitioned into Year 7, they will lead a youth social action project of their choice with the aim to help the next year group with their transition.
Testlands’ Youth Advisory Board Project received £9,988.
Testlands will utilise the University of Southampton’s Young Mentor Train the Trainer Programme to create a Youth Advisory Board for the city. The board will include young people doing research and improving their skills before leading on youth social action projects of their choice which will improve their self-efficacy, resilience and emotional intelligence. The youth social action projects will tackle local issues and foster a supportive environment that recognises the importance of mental wellbeing while reinforcing a sense of belonging and positively impacting the wider community’s health.
The Avenues Youth Project’s Mental Health Champions Project received £9,145.
The Avenues Youth Project will train a group of young people on various topics including mental health awareness, self-care, active listening and stigma reduction to equip them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to assist their peers with mental health challenges. Once fully trained, the young people will lead on a youth social action project of their choice, focusing on supporting wellbeing within their community.
The Reanella Trust’s Resilience Recovery Relief Project received £10,000.
The Reanella Trust will empower a group of young people to become Wellbeing Champions by training them in essential skills and knowledge in mental health and wellbeing. Once fully trained, the Wellbeing Champions will lead on youth social action projects of their choice, focusing on reducing stigma and increasing awareness around anxiety and depression. Supported by mentorship, ongoing learning and a network that encourages their sustained involvement in youth social action, the Wellbeing Champions will continue their impact beyond the lifetime of the project.
Wapping Youth FC’s Leaders of Tomorrow Project received £10,000.
Wapping Youth FC will train a group of young people through a series of workshops discussing mental health concerns in their community that they would like to address and how to support their peers. Once fully trained, the young people will each plan a youth social action project with their own £500 budget.
