SW!TCH
Nathan Singleton
Chief Executive Officer
LifeLine has been working with young people since 2000. By walking the difficult—and occasionally traumatic—path alongside young people, investing personally in their lives and championing them, we’ve seen them undertake the most amazing transformations.
This preventative approach has proven to be the catalyst for young people turning from involvement in knife crime or gangs, improving their school attendance – in some cases by 350%! – gaining a vision that acts as a catalyst for behaviour change and securing positive post-16 progressions. We have been able to engage parents who had almost given up hope and work in close partnership with local schools to ensure that these students succeed
Funded programmes don’t usually support the long-term relational approach that LifeLine has found to be effective. Instant results are usually sought. But we endeavour to cultivate long-term relationships that facilitate listening, consistency and partnership. That’s because these are key in creating vision and developing the kind of young people that our country needs for the future. Young people who will grow to be society’s contributors and our next leaders
It’s possible. But more than that, it’s necessary, for we must close the gap and create a fairer society. SW!TCH is not just another youth programme, it’s a youth movement
SW!TCH draws on LifeLine’s 20+ years’ experience of working with young people through our award-winning VIP Mentoring scheme, growing since 2000.
LifeLine CEO Nathan Singleton has worked with young people for most of his career, during which he developed the mentoring scheme in collaboration with others (including young people) who cited the need for a trusted adult to talk to.
LifeLine is always relevant within the current climate, and provides programmes that morph to bring solutions according to need. VIP Mentoring has evolved in the recognition of the holistic needs of young people growing up in today’s urban environment and is now incorporated into a bigger programme called SW!TCH.
The team behind SW!TCH is agile in nature, adapting to needs and finding solutions to current issues.
Today’s SW!TCH programmes bring solutions to young people that are in danger of becoming involved in serious youth violence or have poor mental health.
SW!TCH Minds Evaluation
SW!TCH Minds [has] delivered significant positive impact to the students in all of the schools it operated in over the last three years.
SW!TCH Minds provides weekly 1-2-1 mentoring by skilled and experienced youth workers in local schools, coupled with weekly positive activities and holiday programmes.
This programme—which was run in the London Boroughs of Havering, Redbridge, and Barking and Dagenham—was independently evaluated by an external evaluator from Autumn 2019 to Summer 2022.
We’re proud to be able to share their findings about the amazing impact our work has had on the mental health of young people.
Please note
Many of our programmes at currently at full capacity offering support to young people through our Youth Development Workers across Havering, Redbridge, and Barking and Dagenham.
Unfortunately, we have been forced to start a waiting list and therefore do not anticipate any availability to take new young people onto these programmes for the foreseeable future.
If you wish to join the SW!TCH waiting list, please contact ruthlowe@lifelineprojects.co.uk for more information.
If there are other agencies able to offer support in the mean time, please do link up with them to gain support for young people in need whilst remaining on our waiting list
