Baytree’s Youth Service provides a safe and supportive space for girls and young women aged 6-20 to develop personally and academically.
We work in a person-centred, trauma-aware, and holistic way, with the aim of raising girls and young women’s confidence, self-esteem, and aspirations. We do this by providing support and guidance to girls across four key focus areas: Positive activities/wellbeing; Education; Skills for life; and Employability.
Our programmes are youth-led and co-produced with the girls to ensure that all activities are always relevant to their needs and goals. We use Character Development as an educational approach that involves helping girls discover their own strengths and weaknesses and develop good habits and critical thought.
GEMS
Grow Enjoy Move Study (GEMS) is our after school activity programme for girls aged 6-18 years where they can have fun, express themselves and discover their talents while building their confidence and resilience. Our dynamic clubs are designed to cultivate a lifelong love of learning and help girls achieve their best.
Youth Mentoring
Baytree’s mentoring programme provides one-to-one support to girls aged 10 to 18 with their academic development (with a focus on English and Maths) as well as their personal development.
Mentors are volunteers who act as role models. They provide a positive environment where young people feel safe and encouraged to set goals, improve their academic attainment and confidence, and achieve their aspirations.
Mentors and mentees meet once a week for an hour for at least one academic year. Sessions can take place remotely and/or face-to-face at the centre and are scheduled according to the mentor’s and mentee’s availabilities. Sessions are held Monday to Thursday between 4:00 pm and 6:15 pm and Saturdays (only online) between 10:00 am and 12:30 pm.
Spark
Spark provides a safe, supportive space for girls and young women of secondary school age to develop personally, achieve their potential and turn their aspirations into realities.
Sessions are discussion and activity based, allowing for young women to have their voices heard. They offer girls the opportunity to talk about issues that are affecting them in their daily lives or that they feel strongly about, as well as cultivate the key life skills they need to build a brighter future for themselves, their family, and their community.
Girls are empowered to understand and value their identity and potential, become women who are comfortable and confident within themselves, support those around them and contribute to society.
Find out more about the Spark clubs and activities.
Sparking Futures
Sparking Futures supports girls and young women aged 14 and above, who are interested in taking the next step towards their future careers.
- Monthly skills workshops: These cover tangible skills such as applying for jobs, writing a CV, presenting yourself in an interview, routes into employment as well as rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
- Work experience and career insight days: These take place in the school holidays and provide an opportunity for young women to gain hands-on experience and insight into a particular career and workplace.
- Career champions programme: Young women are matched with a professional whose career is aligned with the young person’s career aspirations and is able to offer them one to one career guidance and practical support.
- Career Panels: We organise two annual career panels where we invite successful and inspirational women from a broad range of sectors to talk about their journeys.
- Young volunteering: We offer exciting and varying opportunities to support girls of primary school age, in afterschool clubs at Baytree (4:00 – 5:00 pm or 5:00 – 6:00 pm). Volunteers need to commit to one hour a week, for 6-10 weeks. Clubs include one-to-one reading, art, maths, literacy, science and coding. Girls and young women are prepared and trained for their volunteering role and supported throughout their journey.
Into School
Education is a fundamental right for all children, including those who are newly arrived in the UK. And yet, navigating the school application system is difficult for migrants and refugees who are new to the country and who have limited English and digital skills. Even with support to apply for a place at a school or a college, young migrants and refugees of secondary school age can be made to wait months for a place and end up feeling isolated and discouraged.
Baytree’s Into School programme facilitates the transition of newly arrived girls into the UK education system. It offers support to secondary school-aged girls who have recently arrived in the UK and who don’t have a place in a school or college. Our programme includes a range of support services and activities, such as:
- ESOL (English classes)
- social activities
- classes to prepare girls for school or college
- support with school applications
- mentoring
- maths and digital skills embedded in the curriculum
- outings in and around London
- optional after-school EAL classes
- optional after-school activities with our youth services
EAL
Our exciting new after school EAL programme is for secondary school aged girls who have English as an additional language and who need support with their English. Our EAL conversation club provides a space for girls to discuss different topics, practise their conversation skills and build their confidence, while our English with maths, science and digital skills gives girls a chance to focus language for these important subjects, preparing them for their future studies and careers.
Fridays Pizza & Chill
Pizza & Chill is a fun space for girls and young women to come and hang out, meet new friends, play games and just have a chat. Sessions take place every first Friday of the month. For girls in years 8 and 9 the sessions run from 4:30 – 6:00 pm, whilst the sessions for girls in years 10 and above, run from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
Mother & Daughter Activities
Mother & Daughter activities take place on the second Friday of every month and during school holidays. They consist of one-off sessions, workshops or trips that aim to provide a fun space for mothers and daughters to spend quality time together and strengthen their relationship.
Get in touch
If you would like to find out more about any of the above programmes, please contact a member of the team.
GEMS and Mother & Daughter activities: andrea@baytreecentre.org.uk
Youth Mentoring: federica@baytreecentre.org.uk
Spark, Sparking Futures and Young Volunteering: apithanie@baytreecentre.org.uk
Into School and EAL: intoschool@baytreecentre.org.uk
If you would like to make a referral for a young person you are working with, please fill out our referral form and send it to rosanna@baytreecentre.org.uk. If you are making a referral for mentoring, please also include the mentoring application form, which needs to be filled out by the young person themselves.
Team Members
