Mission

Khulisa ensure young people have the social skills and emotional support they need to thrive. We exist to support excluded or marginalised young people whose behaviour is deemed challenging or antisocial, and the professionals, peers and carers who support them. We deliver intensive, therapeutic group programmes for young people, aged 11-25. We train professionals, parents and carers in how to create nurturing, trauma-informed environments for young people. We ensure young people affected by trauma or adversity have the social skills and emotional support they need to thrive.

Category

Children and Youth

Additional Information

Our strategy recognises that improving a young person’s social and emotional skills will only go so far in improving their life outcomes. To create meaningful and lasting change, we need to also ensure that all young people are cared for by adults who are trauma-informed and systems that are responsive to their social and emotional needs. Khulisa will therefore focus on ensuring young people have the three things they need to fulfil their true potential: 1) improved social & emotional skills 2) positive relationships with peers and trusted adults, and 3) access to nurturing environments which prioritise their wellbeing In 2021-24, we will: Expand and deepen our therapeutic programmes for young people with the creation of a new youth ambassador programme and a range of digital support programmes Rapidly expand our trauma training for professionals and families through the development of our digital training and by expanding our support to parents and carers Deepen and regionalise our delivery partnerships, expanding our support beyond just schools and prisons, creating longer term partnerships in more defined regional hubs Influence local practitioners and policymakers, by proving the link between improved wellbeing and reduced exclusions, crime and violence, and the long term benefits of developing a whole school, trauma-informed culture. Khulisa is responding to the increased demand for our services, caused partly by the outbreak of Covid-19. Our 2021-24 strategy launched this is a pivotal moment in our organisational journey as we reach more young people than ever before. Since 2015 we have doubled in size, we redeveloped our brand, refined our theory of change, invested in our digital and evaluation capabilities, secured multi-year funding and support from a series of well-respected funders and partners. This has laid solid foundations for future growth as we seek to expand and scale our programmes, reaching the most vulnerable young people across the UK. Over the next three years, we aim to support over 30,000 young people through direct support and through training professionals who care for young people.