After18

After18 was founded in 2013 in response to the number of unaccompanied children in Leicester who were asking for support when they turned 18. Children and young people travel to the UK, without family, fleeing war and persecution in their home country. They arrive bewildered, traumatised and anxious, living alone in an unfamiliar place where they may not speak the language or understand the culture. Through reaching out and assisting them to access mainstream services, we were able to listen and work with them to develop our services. They have shaped our education project and identified the need for a young women’s group. We now have over 200 young people using our services in Leicester each year.