Relationship can restore a young person’s trust in people. It can nurture the belief that things can change, that an alternative future is possible. Positive relationships act as a reference point for determining right from wrong. We see courageous life decisions made by young people in tragic and hopeless situations because of the support provided through a strong and trusted, positive relationship. By working across a range of different projects, we engage with our young people in the settings most familiar to them, and this helps us build deeper relationships with them and their families.
 
Use the buttons below to find out more about each of our projects.

Mentoring

“My mentor has helped me to build my confidence, choose the right ways and to believe in myself. She has helped me so much."
– Chloe, Greenwich

Our nationally-recognised XL-Mentoring project matches an at-risk young person with a trained mentor who encourages them to make positive choices. Our mentoring focuses on ensuring young people aged 11-18 stay in education, aren’t involved in gang culture or anti-social behavior, and work hard to achieve the goals they set.

Young people are referred to the project by schools, pupil referral units, youth services or the police. XLP recruits and trains mentors from the young person’s local community. Mentors are then matched by XLP with a suitable referred young person. Both mentors and mentees commit to meeting up for two hours each week for a minimum of 12 months.

XLP then supervise and monitor the mentoring relationship through a full-time experienced youth worker for each borough. The youth worker manages up to 25 active mentoring relationships and supports the mentors, mentees, and the mentees’ families throughout the process. Our XL-Mentoring has received the Mentoring and Befriending Approved Standard Provider from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Education

“XLP’s involvement has had a markedly positive influence on our school and they provide invaluable support and guidance to our young people. They are committed to treating all young people equally and being completely inclusive. Their long term approach is what young people need."
- Teddy Gruber, Asst. Head Teacher, Conisborough College, Lewisham

One of our three key objectives is for young people to choose to stay in school and succeed. Evidence suggests that success in learning is one of the most powerful indicators in the prevention of youth crime (Youth Justice Board 2014).

Our aim is to help young people who face complex, challenging issues, to address those issues while remaining in school, working hard, gaining qualifications and feeling proud of their achievements. We do this through a combination of long-term 1-2-1 support, group mentoring and literacy and numeracy training.

Community Projects

Our three, purpose-built, double-decker buses operate on inner-city estates, providing a safe environment for young people from some of the most disadvantaged areas in London.

Our long-term approach means that the XL-R8 Bus Project has become embedded in local communities, gaining the trust of local residents and young people alike. This year, the buses visited 23 inner-city estates on a weekly basis. The sessions are open access, meaning anyone can join, and are run by experienced youth workers alongside dedicated local volunteers.

Young people come to find help and advice, someone to talk to, as well as access to computers, games consoles, a music studio, chill-out spaces, cooking facilities, arts and crafts areas and even a nail bar! As young people grow older, they are encouraged to support as volunteers themselves, leading supervised activities and in doing so becoming positive role models to their peers. The XL-R8 Bus Project is run in tandem with our schools work, ensuring that those we meet in schools are also being supported at home, and offers the opportunity to work alongside families and within their communities as well. Sports activities and detached youth work take place around the buses, and young people are invited to excursions, trips and camps to broaden their horizons.

Employment

In September 2017, XLP’s Ready to Work initiative began as a standalone project, aimed at getting young people aged 16-24 into education, training or employment. Building on the long-term relationships already established with young people, it is a natural next step to help them transition into work.  The project consists of a 12-week course that tackles the barriers that particularly hinder this group of young people from moving into and remaining in meaningful employment. We work to raise self-awareness and help young people to take responsibility, whilst also developing soft skills such as patience, resilience and confidence.

We work alongside corporate partners to offer structured sessions on CV writing and interview training, and provide opportunities to gain suitable experience and qualifications relevant to a young person’s area of interest. Young people are also offered work experience with partner companies, and are encouraged to volunteer on XLP community youth projects, providing further opportunities to grow and develop. Trips and excursions are important in broadening horizons, building life skills and experiences, and inspiring young people who have often never left London, their borough or even their estate, to do something they’ve never done before.

The companies who have supported our Ready to Work project are ING, Workspace, Goldfinch, Lumberjack Café, RED, RenewEL, My Jamii Café, Nix and Kix, Waterman Group, Cogent Electrical Services and Salmon Youth Centre.

Sport

XL-Sports uses sport and fitness as a means of engaging young people through structured training sessions, coaching, mentoring, tournaments and trips. The goal of XL-Sports is to see young people develop respect for themselves and others, and the determination and discipline to work hard to achieve their goals. This is encapsulated in the XL-Sports slogan: 'Set it. Reach it. Beat it.'

Football

A team of qualified football coaches host training sessions on nine estates each week, as well as organising matches, tournaments and discussion groups.  Young people are also encouraged to gain their FA Level 1 coaching qualifications and volunteer to coach their peers, working alongside XLP staff to deliver training sessions. We have developed partnerships with professional and semi-professional football clubs to help provide further footballing opportunities for the most talented and driven young people. 25 of the young people we work with are now playing for semi-professional clubs, and we feed into five clubs in the professional Football League.

Gym

In partnership with 3 Aces Crossfit, members of the XLP team work with the gym's personal trainer to deliver weekly gym sessions. Like football, these sessions build a strong sense of community and encourage motivation among young people, not just to excel at sports, but also to achieve other personal goals. In addition to the weekly sessions, survival weekends and climbing expeditions to Snowdon are organised to broaden horizons. For many of our young people, this is the only time of year they will get outside their communities.

Arts

The XLP Arts Project uses drama, dance and music to engage young people across all our boroughs.

The ‘Life and Opportunity Skills Stream’ provides a series of sessions and workshops that help to equip young people interested in the arts with a rounded set of life skills. Sessions focus on topics such as communication, time-management, conflict and stress, confidence, applying for jobs, interviews and CV development. 

The ‘Performance Development Stream’ provides courses and workshops associated with particular art forms, which are delivered by specialist coaches. The stream culminates with a showcase event, bringing together families, teachers and young people to celebrate their achievements and, in doing so, help to overcome postcode tensions and celebrate different cultural traditions.

The X-Mobile Project uses two specifically designed mobile recording studios to help young people not only express the challenges they face, but to find positive pathways to success. We find that music is a powerful medium for many young people, particularly those who are at risk of involvement in gangs, crime and anti-social behaviour.

Here, young people are encouraged to express the struggles they face through music. A collaborative approach to lyrics, music and production often creates partnerships between young people who might otherwise be considered rivals. The project also opens up opportunities to highlight jobs and careers within the music industry, and helps participants to aspire to better futures. Each week, specialist youth workers with a passion for and expertise in music take these custom-built mobile recording studios to schools, pupil referral units (PRUs) and onto estates. There they develop trusted relationships with the young people to help them address the behavioural, educational and emotional challenges many of them face on a daily basis. Many of the young people reference the project as a pivotal influence in helping them back into education, training or employment.

Find out more about volunteering today.