Children & Families Award 2015

Main Award – The What? Centre Volunteers

“Most of the people nominated are volunteer counsellors. They are all qualified and experienced counsellors, who provide counselling for young people aged 13-25 many of whom are troubled, may be suicidal, have depression, be self-harming, have eating disorders or low self-esteem.

The What? Centre volunteering team provides hours of counselling per week for young people, listening to young people’s difficult stories, and supporting them through the exploration of their difficulties and sadness. Their role is to help them find a way through their troubles, seek new coping skills and be better able to deal with the problems they face. They are all professional counsellors who give freely of their time and expertise.

I have great pride in these volunteers and they are a vital and intregral part of our team, each one bringing their own unique approach. They, alongside the staff team, provide counselling for 110 young people each week, around 5,500 sessions per annum. Their counselling has helped to grow the profile of our project greatly, with some 120 young people on the waiting list. They are providing counselling for more and more young people. They give their time during the day, in the evening and on Saturdays.”