History

The project began at Gladstone Terrace Community Centre with just three dedicated members of staff and a 16-week pilot supporting pregnant women and young mothers of school age.

Within a year, the team had grown, and our reputation had spread across the borough.

As word travelled, referrals followed and Young Women’s Project was thriving, delivering a range of hugely successful programmes.

We’d built a genuine community, with young women regularly dropping by or calling to update us on their lives and progress.

Our impact was clear – 384 sessions attended by 116 young women.

This year marked the start of a very uncertain period. Our future was unknown and the fight was on. Despite our fate hanging in the balance, we consistently delivered some fantastic outcomes.

Our door may have been closed during lockdown but we kept the project alive – from socially-distanced doorstep chats, and Zoom activities, to delivering care packages and donating laptops and phones.

Between 2013 and 2021, we faced challenges brought on by funding cuts, a changing economy, and the pandemic. Yet through it all, our commitment never wavered. And we keep moving forward.