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Youth support worker talking with a young person

Youth Mentoring

Youth Health and Wellbeing

Youth Hubs

Youth Skills

Youth in Community

Youth and Family

Youth Futures

Youth Voice and Influence

Youth Mentoring

At the heart of Motiv8’s work are the trusted relationships between support workers and young people. Our dedicated teams offer someone who will listen when they feel stuck, a nurturing environment as they begin to accept help, and someone who they know believes in them as they build a plan that works together.

This provision often bridges the gap between mental and emotional support and other children’s services, can be an effective positive correctional intervention for those involved with or at risk of being involved with the Police, and can act as a helpful external pastoral support to schools and colleges without capacity.

With referrals up more than a third in the last three years, we are responding to the unprecedented rise in mental health issues, struggles with neurodiversity, anxiety caused by global issues, as well as the reaching effects that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on an entire generation. Knowing how important developing a positive role model relationship with a young person can be, we commit to take the time needed to empower a young person so that they can unlock their resilience.

Typically, we offer up to Six months of support with a dedicated youth worker, working through evidence-based journey of change monitored using our Outcome Star. As well as home visits and being able to engage in our open access Hubs and community projects, the young person will meet up once a week with a Support Worker wherever they are most comfortable. Not always a straight line, we tailor our interventions to each young person and it evolves to match the stage they are at and help that they need.

The Stat that Matters

55% of those who received 1:2:1 support showed notable improvement in ‘behaviour’ while in school and education settings.

Youth Health and Wellbeing

The health challenges faced by young people are complex. We empower those we support to understand flexible coping mechanisms in the right way, at the right time. Collaborative by nature, our ‘Back to Basics’ approach places control in the hands of young people, leading to a more effective wellbeing journey.

We offer a trusted model that can help schools, GP’s Community groups, and families to address these as a priority when services are unavailable elsewhere or waiting lists are long.

We have invested heavily in this support responding to the rise of more than a third since 2020. This unprecedented rise is largely due to young people experiencing severe, complex, and overlapping mental health issues, struggling with neurodiversity, as well as the reaching effects that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on an entire generation. Positive Wellbeing is associated with fewer risky behaviours amongst young people.

We offer free, open access wellbeing drop-ins (sometimes called lighthouse) after school where all are welcome. We can also offer short term targeted help, 6 sessions of structured wellbeing support (sometimes called listening ear), that can give young people the time to explore the factors that they can control. Including: physical activity, sleep, screen time, making connections, reengaging with community, developing a support network, and putting in place safety plans.

The Stat that Matters

70% of young people reporting a notable uplift in their emotional health and wellbeing after engaging with Motiv8.

Youth Hubs

Motiv8 Youth Hubs guarantee a warm welcome, access to warm safe space, and a warm meal for young people within their own communities. Unique to each area and often a gateway to further support, our hubs are fun places where young people can simply be themselves.

These Youth Hubs are open access and placed in areas of particular need informed by our wide network of partners

There has been a significant withdrawal of traditional youth club spaces and trained youth workers across the country in the last 20 years. Motiv8 are committed to ensuring that young people have access to a Youth Hub in their own communities where they can be themselves, thrive, access informal education, learn, play, and be creative

Located across Portsmouth, Havant, Gosport and Fareham. Our hubs are designed as places where young people can simply be themselves. These flexible hub sessions are free, shaped by the communities they support, and often bridge the gap between our tailored services or can offer an effective first step towards great independence post support

The Stat that Matters

The number of young people accessing Motiv8 Youth Hubs is up more than 130% since the pandemic. More than 800 attended in 2023/2024 alone.

Youth Skills

Our skills provision is aspirational, adaptable, and accessible. With free experience opportunities right on their doorstep these practical sessions and visits are delivered working with our network of partners from all walks of life and give young people insight in to how they might use their talents for future opportunities.

Skills Hubs are open to all and the focus area’s are informed by young people.

Our hubs also provide young people with opportunities to develop crucial ‘soft’ and interpersonal skills, building confidence in group settings, and helping them make measurable progress towards their wider goals. Our programmes are diverse, often utilising partnerships in the community to create learning opportunities outside of traditional education settings that inspire young people in alternative ways.

These sessions are developed around key areas of personal development – from practical groups (such as cooking, bike repair or sports) through to more creative pursuits such as (coding, media and film, or writing). An accredited Lazer Learning Awards training provider we can offer and facilitate entry level courses in many of these areas to support with future study and employment. Much like other sessions we guarantee this will be an inclusive, safe space, where young people can access food and advice as they require.

The Stat that Matters

67% of those young people who work with Motiv8 demonstrate improvement in their learning outcomes

Youth in Community

Motiv8 can translate the confusing web of services for families and young people into clear next steps, empowering them toward help and support. Through regular street-based youth work and participation at community and cultural events we take ourselves to where young people who have disengaged from support structures may be.

Much of our community and diversionary work is supported by the city, district and borough councils, with additional support from Hampshire Police and the Violence Reduction Unit. Additionally, we will work with community organisations to coordinate efforts and with large cultural events to align activity.

By empowering young people within their own communities, we can ensure any action taken is lasting, embedded, and supported. This helps to reduce antisocial behaviour, and has been shown to effectively engage the most vulnerable often on the fringes of society. This engagement creates a pathway toward more tailored programmes and open provision. These invaluable ‘third-spaces’ establish pride and security with the communities we operate while signposting help to those who are often disengaged or at greatest risk of exploitation.

While our programmes such as ‘Choices’ or ‘Divert’ act as a targeted intervention for a limited number of young people helping to address spikes in ASB, overcome exploitation and/or deal with some of the underlying issues that may have led to offending. Our street- based community work, done by teams of two, out in high deprivation postcodes, is often the most effective way to reach those often missed by or unable to access other services. Our presence at cultural and experience events, such as festivals, is often targeted at particular needs such as substance misuse or mental wellbeing.

The Stat that Matters

Motiv8 has reached 6,663 Young people in some of the region’s most deprived wards through community drop-in, group work, street based detached youth work and community education events

Youth and Family

When we take the time to engage with all those around and supporting a young person – at home, at school and in the community. By building a trusted relationship our support ensures all have a voice in any change, can offer ongoing tailored practical advice, and ensure positive outcomes that last as all are invested.

Families are referred to us from a range of children’s support function, social services, and the youth justice system. Families may also be identified and internally referred from within Motiv8 programmes. Funding is provided by the county councils and from charitable partners.

We know that the youth work, works best when it involves all those around the child or young person. Our dedicated team of family support workers offer support in all parts of life ensuring that the young person’s voice is at the heart of the discussions and any development plans are seen through effectively. Responsive to the ever-changing environment, developing trust over time they can ensure that there is a full awareness of the support available to each family both from Motiv8 and other public sector partners.

We take a ‘Whole Family Approach’, will undertake home visits, and support those we work with in all parts of life. We leverage our wide network of positive relationships to unlock support, can integrate support in to other Motiv8 Provision, work in partnership with the family and all those in the young person’s communities to bridge the gap between schools, social services, charity supporters, and those in the YJS where necessary.

The Stat that Matters

86% of families we work with shared improvements in family relationships through access to positive parenting approaches, additional family support, and whole family well-being activities provided by Motiv8.

Youth Futures

We know that when you believe in young people, give them role models, meaningfully listen, and offer experiences that inspire, they can thrive. By understanding the barriers they may have faced and building an achievable alternative pathway, our Futures Programme offers hope to young people who may otherwise slip through.

A focus on positive future development is present in all parts of our work but we particularly work with education providers to meet the needs of those who require alternative education pathways. Support is also often given by local business for discovery sessions, community and cultural groups to facilitate local activities, and we actively work with families and those around the young person to embed positive change.

We understand that young people face multiple barriers in achieving their dreams that are often beyond their control and can often leave them feeling stuck. Regardless of their path, the young people we support are set meaningful goals and given the means to take steps towards reaching them. Our support harnesses their strengths, matching them where they are on their developmental journey. We understand that they first must accept help, then be given a safe space to try new things, support to find what works and eventually develop the necessary foundations for brighter, more resilient, and successful independent future.

Using our evidence led support we can ensure that individuals in all our programmes are given the tailored and adaptable support they need and have the opportunities to thrive. In all our programmes there is a focus on progression and positive future development, but our Aspire and Achieve provision is holistic, tailored an adaptable for those who may not have thrived in other settings. We bring together intensive 1:2:1 mentoring sessions, peer led measurable group work, and discover days in the community and with local businesses. A Laser Learning training provider we can also accredit our programmes offering a foundation toward future study or employment.

The Stat that Matters

84% of young people receiving one-to-one mentoring support felt they had overcome their barriers and made positive progress.

Youth Voice and Influence

Informed by our Motiv8 Youth Advisors we believe young people should be seen as the experts on young people. We recognise the importance of sharing power with young people and understand our responsibility to leverage this to inform the thinking of decision makers, our work, and the work of others.

Alongside regular engagement and feedback sessions, Motiv8 brings together youth advisers from all its activity areas to inform out practice. We also sit among a network of youth support organisation, both locally and nationally, with whom we engage to represent those we support.

Young People are the experts on young people. We want each individual young person to have their own voice heard and be able to represent those who share their experiences when ready and wish to. We want those inspired towards a brighter future to have opportunities to implement the changes that they would like to see in their community. By sharing in the power that we hold and empowering the young people and families we work with we can grow a pride in place and better align services to real need.

We create platforms for young people to be able to advocate for themselves, and our programmes and projects are informed by our youth advisers. Sitting at the heart of a network of services, schools, families, social workers, charities and private partners interested in seeing real change for young people we recognise the importance of using our own voice to inform the thinking of government at all levels and ensure that those most deprived are the first in line for support that reflects their true need.

The Stat that Matters

Motiv8 Will recruit Twelve Youth Advisers, a paid role, on a two year placement to help inform our practice. This will ensure we reflect the true needs of young people in our practice and each phase will play an active role in supporting, recruiting and training the next cohort.