Young people from asylum seekers, refugees and BME communities may be experiencing a combination of linked problems such as low educational attainment, limited aspirations, poor skills, low incomes, unemployment, poor housing, bad health, family breakdown, etc. People seeking asylum often exist in social deprivation and isolation and can experience distress due to reasons such as fleeing their home country, their journey to the UK or due to the situation they are currently in. Young people seeking asylum are particularly vulnerable.

Often young people from refugees, asylum seeker and BME communities don't access mainstream youth services due to lack of awareness of what is available and a lack of self-confidence. Language skills often create a barrier which affects young people's confidence as well as not knowing what to expect and whether they would be understood. There is also a fear that they won't be able to integrate into mainstream culture. Racism exists and impacts on young refugees every day.

Young people from refugees, asylum seeker and BME communities often require extra assistance with schooling and homework because their previous education may have been disrupted or even nonexistent. Many of these young people have missed out on education because they spent a significant part of their childhood in refugee camps. Some young people may not be able to read or write in their own language.

It can be very difficult for young people to catch up on many years of schooling with limited support and as a result they may drop out of the school system altogether. Refugee families are often not able to help their children with their homework because of language and education differences.

Many parents and grandparents have no educational experience at all.

There are many barriers to refugees, asylum seeker and BME communities finding work such as lack of recognisable experience and training, language barriers, health (physical and mental) and racism.

They face many barriers to accessing health services such as a lack of knowledge and information about available services, and language and cultural barriers. They may not have experienced adequate health care in their country of origin and may have long term health issues or injuries that have not been adequately treated.

Our strategy on working with young people involves finding out about barriers that exist to young people accessing our services, and to take active steps in removing these barriers. Our goal is to help young people have the knowledge, confidence and support to access the services and opportunities they need including social services, education, health, youth, leisure and other community services. The programme will support young people in building their skills, knowledge and confidence to access services independently.

We will facilitate youth club sessions to come to and get information and advice. We link them to the appropriate service providers and also make the service providers aware of the young people in need of help. We talk to children and young people and work with them and their families to identify the areas of change they wish to see in their lives. After finding out what they want, we then help the families to achieve it for themselves

More information: Young refugees and asylum seekers in Greater London: vulnerability to problematic drug use, Final report
http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/health/docs/youngrefugeesreport.pdf

Programme Objectives:

• To assist children and young people in overcoming any barriers they may face by offering information, advice, advocacy and practical support and by brokering access to services that individuals might need including leisure and sports services.
• To promote youth participation projects, organise, advise and support youth clubs to develop their own systems/projects,
• To encourage and support young people to participate in educational activities that would increase their knowledge and skills.
• To advocate on behalf of young people with their education, training, employment and social needs.
• Promote and encourage young people to develop their creativity and confidence, technical and performance skills.
• To support them to attain their potential and to signpost them to accredited learning opportunities that enable them to access further education, training or employment.

Our methods of working with children and young people

• Implementing our child protection policy in all our activities relating to children and young people
• Keeping regular contact with young people and take action to re-establish contact with young people who have ceased contact with the service.
• Establishing contact with, listen, advise, council, support and advocate on behalf of young people.
• Liaising with appropriate agencies and particularly those concerned with the development and support of information, advice and counselling for young people
• Linking with appropriate voluntary and statutory agencies, highlighting the needs of young people.
• Providing an access point for young parents to training/education.
• To continually assess and review the needs of young people.