Community Events and Partnerships
We love working in the community with local groups, voluntary organisations, and national schemes like the National Citizen Service (NCS), who share our passion for supporting and providing opportunities for young people!
We can offer:
Workshops
Talks
Panel Q and A’s
Hosting No5 stalls at events
Mental Health & Wellbeing Resources
Some of our recent highlights:
Reading Pride 2022
For the fifth year running No5 staff and Young Ambassadors took part in the Pride celebrations at King’s Meadow. Our Young Ambassadors helped run rock painting and macrame making activities, which was enjoyed by all ages! On our stall we had our new No5 Merchandise for sale and also signposting resources for those who may have needed it.
Youth in Mind's Children & Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference 2022 and 2023
This year, Abbie, Projects Coordinator, and Ryan, Young Ambassador, delivered an adapted version of our My Story Workshop to an audience of 30 people who support young people’s mental health and wellbeing in the statutory and third sector.
Last year, we presented the findings from our ‘Restart Youth!’ report to an audience of statutory and third sector organisations working to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Youth and Community Forum
Leading on the Safe Places and Signposting group, we have been involved in the Youth and Community forum since September 2021, looking at how we can restore community-based, open-access, drop-in activities, information, advice and support for local young people.
Reading College Freshers Fair 2022
To help welcome the new students at Reading College, No5 Operations Team set up a stall full of information about No5, mental health and wellbeing resources, and highlighted opportunities to get involved in our youth voices work.
#AmnestyArt project
We have been working alongside Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit, and local partners, on the #AmnestyArt project that sees knifes that have been collected across the Thames Valley melted down and re-purposed to create a striking sculpture in Reading to raise awareness of knife crime. Young people have been involved in the development and design of the sculpture, and the marking and comms of its unveiling in March 2023
Youth Voice partnership
We have been working alongside local partners Starting Point, Reading FC Community Trust, Brighter Futures for Children and Reading Borough Council on young people-led projects that aim to have young voices central to all decision making. To date, young people have created a version of the Extra Familial Harm Strategy and presented it to key decision-makers and stakeholders, and are now working with the Community Safety Partnership as part of their Safer Street project.
Young people-led consultation for NHS Mental Health services
No5’s Young Ambassadors collaborated with Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire’s Integrated Care Board by supporting the commissioning process for a Digital Mental Health Service commissioned by the NHS and the Local Authorities in Berkshire West.
Young people provided questions they wanted the services who were applying to answer, and completed an evaluation of two shortlisted services.
The Young Ambassadors reviewed and evaluated both services, and their feedback, views and experiences directly contributed to the final outcome.
Collaboration in this way helps shape better services as local young people were directly involved in the decision making process!
BOB Berkshire West Children's and Young People's Mental Health Network
Alyson and Carly presented No5’s journey of collaboration and consolidation between young people, the voluntary sector and statutory services which started in 2015 and has led us to Reading Young People’s Hub at the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board – Berkshire West Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health Network event.
Presentation to Reading Borough Council’s Adult Social Care, Children's Services and Education (ACE) Committee
No5’s Operations and Relationships Manager presented our Young Ambassador’s ‘Impact of COVID-19: The Voice of Young People’ report to local councillors on the ACE Committee to share with them the scale of the detrimental impact of lockdown on young people’s mental health.
