No5 Young People is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity No. 1171313) supporting young people to take charge of their mental health We have seen a 171% increase in referrals since the start of the pandemic, with over 900 young people and their families asking us for help during 2021 alone. We were proud to win the Pride of Reading ‘Charity of the Year’ award in 2015 and in 2021 our Young Ambassador team won 'Volunteers of The Year'. We were honoured to receive the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2021. We know a vital aspect of improving our emotional and mental health is to be listened to, and this is a key element of what counselling can offer. Along with this is the need to have our experiences validated by others who respect and value them. We engage with former service users and have 'lived experience leaders' within our professional staff and Young Ambassador teams. This supports our service offer and helps the young people we see feel listened to, valued and respected. What is mental health? Our ‘Mental Health’ includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It can be thought of as: • Our thought processes • Our emotions • How we feel about ourselves and those around us • Our ability to make, and keep friendships and relationships • Our ability to learn from others and to develop psychologically/emotionally We provide: • Free, professional, confidential, one-to-one counselling to anyone age 11 to 25 years • School counselling service • Young Ambassador scheme • Level 5 Certificate in Counselling Young People • Mental Health workshops on the following topics: o My Story o Social Media o Body Image o Stigma and Loneliness o Gender Perceptions o Consent and healthy relationships We are an organisational member of the BACP We were originally established in 1971 as No5 Youth Counselling and Information Service (Charity No. 262681).