Articles

The latest updates from LifeLine Projects.
Articles

The summer holidays are more than six weeks of needing to entertain children

It’s a time to invest in a young person's future. A time that can change their path. Do you remember having to go back to school in September? I know that, for me at least, I was filled with anxiety before I even got through the school gates. But that soon gave way to the excitement of seeing my friends...

4 weeks ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

NEET—prevention is better than cure

I’ve spent most of my life working with young people in east London. I started as a youth leader—hours of mentoring each week, groups trips and activities, conversations with parents. It’s the kind of work that can feel small in the moment but adds up to something big over time.

4 months ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Tips from youth workers for parents: Protective factors for social media

One of the team told me about a time a mother rang him, quite upset. Her teenage son had discovered hurtful comments being made about him in a group chat. Those in the group chat had not realised that he would see them but he did and to him, it felt as if the whole school had turned against him...

5 months ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

A vision for 2050

LifeLine Projects was founded in 2000 by a group of volunteers from a local church in East London who saw a need in their local community. Realising that they could be part of the solution, they began working with isolated and marginalised women and vulnerable young people to help them become agents for change within their community. In those early...

6 months ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

A tribute to Terry King, servant-mentor

It feels like serving no longer seems fashionable. In a culture that prizes visibility, influence, and personal advancement, service can appear more like a step backwards than forwards. Perhaps that is why we often prefer to say volunteer instead, a term that allows us to help without appearing small. Yet, real service always comes with a cost—it requires the deliberate...

7 months ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

The power of showing up

The story of the Good Samaritan has been told for generations. A man, beaten and left for dead, is ignored by both a priest of his faith and by a member of his community. But then comes a stranger—someone who could even be considered his enemy—who stops and helps him. The stranger ensures he receives care and even pays for...

8 months ago

 by John Carruthers

Articles

I don’t believe anything I read online

These days, I feel beset on all sides by constant mainstream media, endless streams of news stories, unverifiable videos, and press conferences with leaders from across the world that peddle their own ‘truth’. I don’t know whether it’s because of clickbait, misinformation, poor journalism, or deepfake videos and photographs, but I do know that I don’t trust much of anything...

9 months ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Belonging matters

People do better when they feel part of something bigger than themselves. Belonging is not just about being included—it’s about knowing that you matter, that what you do and who you are makes a difference, and that sharing life with others brings meaning. But these days, belonging can be hard to find. Simply going out with friends or family can...

10 months ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

The sound of silence

Every time I walk through a shopping centre, I wonder why they’re such loud places. It feels like they’re designed to deafen you. I remember years ago when I visited a hospital, another place which is always noisy. There, I chanced upon a prayer room. It was quiet and simply decorated. It felt like a refuge. If only such spaces...

11 months ago

 by John Carruthers

Articles

Why so many young people lose confidence… and how we can help them rebuild it

It’s easy to assume that someone we see as confident must be confident all the time, and the same for those who lack confidence. But that’s often not true—confidence can fluctuate wildly depending on the situation and other factors. And for many young people, a decline in confidence can happen just when they need it most.If you met one of our...

1 year ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

From living room to legacy

How a handful of volunteers and a coffee table helped shape one of LifeLine’s most transformative programmes It began with 14 women in a living room. There were no desks, no whiteboards, and certainly no lesson plans. But there was food, friendship and a shared determination to belong. LifeLine Projects, now one of London’s most recognised community-based charities, was still...

1 year ago

 by LifeLine Comms Team

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