New charity launches after two years of sponsorship by Elmore
After two years of consultation and development, a new Charity has officially launched to transform the lives of children and young people across Oxfordshire.
The Oxfordshire Discovery College is one of the first of its kind in the UK, working to combat the growing rates of mental health difficulties in the county. The Discovery College will be working with children and young people aged 4-25-years-old and local parents, carers, and professionals.
As the ‘energiser’ of the College, Elmore adopted the project until it could become strong and developed enough to stand on its own. By legally sitting under Elmore’s umbrella, the College has been able to stay focused on becoming an independent Charity in its own right by having lots of things taken care of (like insurance, payroll, and pension schemes). Elmore has been supporting the College since late-2019 for a simple reason: we believe in it and look forward to seeing the model develop in line with shared values.
Nationally, rates of young people with mental health problems are on the rise. The Centre for Mental Health has estimated that 1.5 million children and young people will need support with their mental health as a result of the pandemic across the next 3-5 years. Waiting lists for statutory services like CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) continue to lengthen.
The Discovery College takes an educational approach to wellbeing, believing that children and young people can feel more informed about what they are experiencing and feel more in control. This approach mixes together elements of youth work and fun play-based activities with up-to-date research and DIY wellbeing strategies, with an emphasis on particular diagnoses (like depression or anxiety), behaviours, or coping strategies. The Discovery College creates space for young people to share experiences without stigma or feeling judged. Programmes are led by people with lived experience of mental ill health and the aim is to provide a ‘catch-all’ service available to anyone at exactly the point that they need it.
In the last two years, ODC has achieved the following:
ODC and the University of Oxford Micro-Internship Scheme worked together in 2019 to complete a report that found referrals to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Oxfordshire rocketed by 80% between 2011-2017. The services currently available were mapped and it was identified that a Discovery College was needed to fill the gaps and could help local families to improve their mental health.
At the start of 2020, Oxfordshire Discovery College had prepared to deliver 7 pop-up pilots to test its approach with a cross-section of children and young people and had been awarded funding for the first pilot to take place. By March 2020, ODC’s first paid staff had been fully recruited, written the first programme, and delivered the first session to 10 children in a Witney primary school. When lockdown measures began, delivery had to be suspended because the primary school closed.
During this period of lockdown, ODC pivoted to creating a Working Group of stakeholders (parents or carers for young people with mental health problems, people with their own lived experience of child or adolescent ill health, professionals working in the sector). Five local people volunteer their time and expertise to steer the College and guide strategic decisions at this formative time.
In August and September 2020 ODC’s founder walked the 200 mile Coast-to-Coast route in 12 days to raise funds for the College. ODC raised around £1,800 and, during the lockdowns, miles of walks were donated by supporters (they walked a collective 300 miles before the real walk even began).
ODC launched Youth In Lockdown in partnership with the Oxford Poetry Library and Open House Oxford. Around 100 submissions were received from young people aged 8-23 from across Oxfordshire, expressing in a wide range of creative formats their experiences of the pandemic. This collection has since been exhibited at the Freeborn Gallery.
ODC appointed their first Patron, the musician Rhys Lewis. In partnership with Rhys ODC hosted a 4-week remote Record Club on social media, receiving song selections from local businesses and young people internationally. The response was staggering and a song choice was even received from DJ Fearne Cotton.
After being nominated by a student and a teacher, the Dragon School in Oxford kindly donated £1,650 in November to support the work of ODC. This money enables ODC to connect with young people who are struggling more than ever to look after their mental health.
The College and the University of Oxford Micro-Internship Scheme worked together again in 2020. Two Micro-Interns, Sofia and Deniz, joined ODC to take over their social media, create and queue posts, and co-write a communications plan. Two additional Micro-Interns Alan and Catrin later came on board to collate research into commonly-used activities (like mindfulness and art) to strengthen ODC’s evidence base.
Tom Hayes, Chief Executive of Elmore Community Services, said: “Large numbers of children and young people fall through the gaps in services. We’re very proud to have provided a roof over the heads of the Discovery College over the last two years. We’re excited to see the College become a Charity in its own right, bringing their innovative solutions to people who need their expertise and care. While the launch of the Discovery College as a registered Charity ends this era of our relationship, we’re looking forward to continuing to work closely together and wish the College all the success in the world.”
Laura Harte, Founder and Chief Executive of Oxfordshire Discovery College, said: “This is a real milestone, having spent significant time piloting, monitoring need, and developing our way of working. We initially established in late 2019 with support from Elmore, and now feel confident that our offer is strong and relevant enough to justify stepping out on our own. We know that 75% of all adult mental health problems start before the age of 18, so the Discovery College is creating a real opportunity to provide help at a pivotal time, potentially avoiding more complex or enduring challenges occurring in later life.”
Find out more about Oxfordshire Discovery College by visiting their website here.