Tackle LIFE impact

Heard about Tackle LIFE? Take a look below to read about the impact the programmes has on our young people.

Tackle LIFE is our early intervention programme that mentors and supports young people with displaying challenging behaviour in school, experiencing exploitation or gang grooming outside of school, or those who would benefit from an alternative provision.

We use trained professionals to address these challenges and create action plans to combat external influences. Tackle LIFE offers a safe space to develop core functional skills and concentrate on improving their physical and mental health. We adopt a positive mindset approach to all workshops and relate the skills developed to everyday life, inside and outside their school environment.

We continually monitor and evaluate the programme and young people we engage with. We take baseline data around core skills and soft outcomes, the programme so far has seen its largest increased around leadership and teamwork skills as well as improved resilience and mental health.

Young people are referred in the programme via their school or Early Help team at Bedford Borough Council. We are passionate about the impact the programme has, read the stories below to understand how we help.

Student A:

At the beginning of the programme A displayed some conflicting behaviours and at times negative attitudes towards himself and others. We observed him displaying behaviours in front of his peers to gain status amongst the group. Through small group and individual tasks it became apparent that some of this was an ‘act’ to impress others and protect himself.

He expressed his desire to become an electrician and we were able to help him explore the possibilities that could be open to him, highlighting the skills he’d need to follow this pathway. We worked with him on his confidence, communication and humility, where he was able to secure himself an apprenticeship interview and was offered a place after implementing the skills and behaviours he had learned through Tackle LIFE sessions.

Student B:

B was referred onto the programme for concerns around her disengagement in school and issues with poor mental health. It was evident that B was strong academically but school may not be a thriving environment for her. She engaged in all sessions but was often led astray by another peer in the session who did not want to participate. We saw B’s real growth in the ‘mental health’ week where she opened up about her experiences and identified the relationship between her actions and possible consequences.

We have since seen a positive shift in her behaviour, where she has adopted a mature growth mindset, demonstrated resilience and has made more positive choices inside and outside of school, where she has surrounded herself with positive friendships and improved her relationship with family.

Student C:

When C first attended Tackle LIFE sessions he had been removed from mainstream education. Throughout the programme we witnessed huge improvements in his confidence and communication skills, where he has positively demonstrated his strong leadership capabilities. 

Through 1:1 mentoring, we set C with small growth mindset related challenges to carry out during the sessions and life outside Tackle LIFE. We saw significant positive changes in C’s mental health and after just 9 weeks on the programme, C was accepted back into mainstream education.