SW!TCH Futures

Mentoring and positive activities to make a brighter future for young people.

A third of London's young people are growing up in poverty^†.

In London's most deprived boroughs, they fear for their future.

Some are unable to access mental health services, social care, or even basic education.

† Findings from Poverty in London, 2021/22, London Datastore

SW!TCH Futures provides young people with the support they need to make a better future for themselves.

Our trained and qualified Youth Development Workers deliver a programme of mentoring and activities to create a brighter future for young people, all supported by our award-winning VIP Mentoring framework.

One-⁠to-⁠one mentoring

Weekly sessions, in schools or out in the community, give a young person the opportunity to build a trusting relationship with their mentor while they gain confidence, self-determination, and agency over their future.

Engaging positive activities

Targeted group activities, both physical and creative, are held in local community settings to give young people a positive and safe space to improve their wellbeing, learn new skills, and make new friends.

Fostering agents of change

Young people with leadership potential are invited to become SW!⁠TCH Ambassadors, where they'll develop these skills in order to drive further change in their own community.

Co-designed solutions

Each young person helps to develop their own learning plan, and their unique situations and needs are examined to help shape the course of their mentoring to ensure the best possible outcome.

What is VIP Mentoring?

VIP Mentoring helps young people to find their vision, their identity and their purpose.

Young people consistently tell us that they want more support, particularly when it comes to questions of mental health and the social and emotional pressures they face.

What’s often missing for young people are trusted adults—someone that can be relied upon when facing challenges in their lives. But trusted relationships that encourage positive self-esteem, resilience, and growth take time to flourish. This simple truth often gets overlooked when systems and professionals are facing increasing pressure to deliver results.

VIP Mentoring empowers young people to discover a sense of vision for their lives, to understand their identity and be comfortable in their own skin while providing positive activities within safe boundaries that help them to unpack their purpose.

VIP Mentoring was recognised by the CYP Now Awards in 2009 and the Philip Lawrence Awards in 2010.

Our SW!⁠TCH Futures team is currently supporting young people in schools and on the streets of

Barking and Dagenham

Havering

Redbridge

Newham

Tower Hamlets

Want to refer a young person?

Know someone in need of help?

Whether you’re a parent, school, or other organisations, simply fill out our referral form to get a young person help.

Interested in bringing SW!⁠TCH Futures to your area?

Leave us your details and a member of our team will be in touch with more information about how SW!TCH Futures can be delivered.

This is a fantastic opportunity to reach even more young people with our tried and tested approach to mentoring. This much-needed work will help not just to give young people back their futures, but it will give them a chance to develop into leaders for the next generation.