"Guide Me" Schools Programme

Our Guides came together to receive their first training session on Friday 13th September and the energy was inspiring! With our Project Lead, Tori, they explored how Apart of Me uniquely take young people on a journey of healing, self compassion, and self discovery.

The day was introduced by our Founder, Louis, opening up why the need for a grief space, and why providing grief tools for young people has never been more important. Louis shared the beautiful story of Apart of Me over the last 5 years and how we arrived at the "Guide Me" school programme 18 months ago and the funded support from National Lottery’s Reaching Communities. We are so excited for the next 3 years! In the conversation of grief, the facilitators travelled through the many contributing elements to what loss can look and feel like for a young person.

Diving into our creative design-led approach to help young people talk, connect and reflect - we arrived at why, at its core, Apart of Me is tackling loneliness as a epidemic. We discussed how our online game, and clinically designed creative schools sessions, guide young people towards a safer, more connected place with, and for, peers.

Our facilitators brought their own life experiences and unrivalled enthusiasm into the space - confirming that what we are doing and the level of expertise we have secured is testament to our schools model. Here, with our Guides' support, young people will adopt the skills they need to handle their darkest moments. It is these skills that our Guides will continue to reflect on and practically develop over the next 6 weeks in their training, up until we go live into our first cohort of schools.

Apart of Me are very proud to be taking our intervention scheme into schools, after a time of deep, strategic focus. We have been co-designing this iteration of Guides for over 12 months, with young people’s ideas and input at its core.

Our online Guides community, still held by our long term volunteer and Guide, Henry, will provide our newest facilitation team with a point of evolution and options for the future. Our facilitators begin the most exciting few months as we map out delivery with our first collective of schools. With them, Apart of Me aim to change the conversations, choices and challenges that young people have and face when it comes to dealing with their grief and loneliness.

With young people, Apart of Me will continue to contribute to the landscape of youth culture and it’s need for compassionate, creative, cohesive approaches to real support that leaves a legacy - to acquire tangible skills that lead to positive outcomes for young people facing times of distress, darkness or disconnect. Our facilitators and Apart of Me are here - for now and for the future. We are excited to welcome our future schools to be, Apart of us.