Young People Counselling
Reach: Children in Need
At The African community Centre, we continue to support asylum seeking, refugee and
people from ethnic background children and young people aged 3-18. This project was
renewed in October 2023 and like our previous years, we want to continue offering our
counselling services online and in person, as we feel many of our clients engage through
different avenues and being able to offer both, means we can reach more clients and break down further barriers. We are able to support children and young people outside of Swansea, due to our services being accessible online and we want to continue being able to do so.
Our goals have stayed the same throughout the project, which is to help build resilience,
friendship and a purpose to the CYP on our project but also to offer them a safe, non-
judgemental space, where they can explore anything, they’d like, in hope they gain not only
emotional resilience but a sense of belonging. As for our clients that we have seen/are seeing,
the CORE scores which we take at the start of therapy and at the end have shown a 76% or
above increase. Which shows our clients are benefiting hugely from this therapy and if that
doesn’t reflect how important this service is and how much it’s needed, below are just a few
comments from our clients.
Young People’s Digital Diversity Exchange Project
This project was introduced with the aim of exploring and celebrating culture and heritage
through the lens of the young people in the society, particularly people from the ethnic
minority as a tool to promote diversity and community cohesion. The project is also aimed at
understanding and highlighting the diversity of people from Ethnic minority background
while promoting Welsh Black History and ultimately a better understanding of their
respective local community. Young people participating will be taking to different heritage
sights in Wales and desired location where they will highlight what they want to share about
their heritage with the rest of the group (food, music, culture, games etc)
Interview With Young People
The resources from the digital diversity exchange project that will be converted to a learning
resource will be extracted from the shared experience and the interviews conducted with the
young people. Over the year the project has brought together different young community
members to network with the goal of understanding and celebrating each other’s diversity.
The interviews were carried out by young people who got to interview each other about their
experience, culture and life in Wales.
Unpaid Carers Journey Project
This project provides support to Carers in areas such as transportation, counselling and
recreation. Our approach is designed to support caregivers in three different areas: Many
carers have trouble getting to their medical appointments, social gatherings, shopping, and
the transport system can be unreliable, infrequent and costly, Unpaid Carers initiative offers
free transportation at accessible times.
We currently take referrals from Health Access Team (HAT), SCVS, GP surgeries, Social
Services and Third Sector organisations and individuals who can self-refer. We hold a secure
database of clients which is subject to our privacy policy.
Counselling: Reach Me
One to one counselling project is funded by SBUHB (Swansea Bay University Health
Board). The project offers a safe and confidential space for traumatized clients from BME
(black minority ethnic backgrounds) to explore concerns, feelings and often trauma. This
community counselling service has often changed our clients lives for the better and our
outcomes have been overreached this year. We have 5 counsellors, 2 of whom are placement
counsellors and all are registered with BACP (British Association of Counsellors and
Psychotherapists) or equivalent.
We also have a bank of 8 trained interpreters who are invaluable for our service. We believe
REACH ME to be unique in Wales and are privileged to be trusted with this work.
Our goals have stayed the same throughout the project, which is to help build resilience,
friendship and a purpose to the CYP on our project but also to offer them a safe, non-
judgemental space, where they can explore anything, they’d like, in hope they gain not only
emotional resilience but a sense of belonging. As for our clients that we have seen/are seeing,
the CORE scores which we take at the start of therapy and at the end have shown a 76% or
above increase. Which shows our clients are benefiting hugely from this therapy and if that
doesn’t reflect how important this service is and how much it’s needed, below are just a few
comments from our clients.
Our referrals for one-to-one counselling have come from The Health Access Team, SCVS,
BAWSO, GP surgeries and also self-referrals. We have two safe and comfortable counselling
rooms in the Multicultural Hub and clients are made to feel at home and welcome.
Harmindise
Harmony-MIND-ise
The Harmindise project is a mental health initiative geared toward helping young people to build
resiliance, come into self-awareness and become change makers in their community. It is a Mind Our
Future project. with the strapline: improving the mind and safeguarding our future.
The ACC HarMINDise Project coined from a combination of the words: Harmony-MIND-Eyes, is
geared towards informing a system change in the way Mental Wellbeing is addressed and managed
for young people between the ages of 11 to 25. Our Strapline is “Improving the Mind, Safeguarding
Our Future.” The project has carried out consultations in schools and event venues, and delivered over
10 taster sessions of activities by delivery partners on the project. The development year has now
usehered in 4years of diverse deliveries by 13 partners on the project. With over 100 registered
members and more than 50 young enthusiasts, the project is set for an engaging 4years of active
engagement in building resilience, supporting change/policy makers, delivering counselling, working
towards creating a safe space for young people to access wellbeing services, programmes,
enlightenment, recreation, refreshment and support.
We look forward to positively impacting on all aspects of life; social, health, creativity, emotional,
sports, mental, academic, psychological and otherwise, in the lives of young people across Swansea.
Our panel of ten members are ready to steer the project and make decisions that would influence the
choice and nature of deliveries on the project. Our ever-supportive partners are all ready to deliver on
the project. With 10 School consultations, 17 project events and 5 partner meetings