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We change futures

Our programmes

Our programmes are truly unique and combine work experience, coaching, skills, experiences and adventures, for young people that we call our “gappies”.

We fill any gaps in young people’s lives, ensuring that they have the basics in place that the rest of us take for granted – a trusted person to turn to, a safe place to live, confidence and basic skills.

What makes our programmes so different however, is that we provide every gappie with support, constancy and care – these family values are at the heart of everything we do.

We believe that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and so we build a powerful community of positive individuals and caring organisations around our gappies, so that they can benefit from every opportunity that our programmes bring.

This is not about tea and toast for poor unfortunates. This is about delivering real change in real lives, and this is achieved through a completely holistic approach that develops confidence and self-esteem as well as work and life skills.

From this place, the young people we support change from being ‘prisoners of circumstance’ to ‘pilots of our own lives’.

We Discover

3 months

A virtual programme for 16 – 25 year olds. A chance to gain new skills and experiences and with the support of a mentor, build a plan for a bright future.

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We Grow

12 months

A life-changing programme for 18+ year olds including six-months’ paid employment, work placements, coaching and mentoring sessions, activity days and experiences.

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We Belong

Lifetime

All gappies stay part of the WeMindTheGap family. We offer lifelong support and a safe and trusted person to talk to – whether that’s help with careers, housing, money, wellbeing or relationships.

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Our programme locations

Changing lives across the North West and North Wales

All Locations

We Discover
  • Wrexham

    Wrexham Arrow
  • Flintshire

    Flintshire Arrow
We Grow
  • Wrexham

    Wrexham Arrow
  • Flintshire

    Flintshire Arrow

“I was put forward by my social worker from the domestic abuse unit. I didn’t see anything worthwhile in life – I was very depressed; I didn’t want to live.

The programme with WeMindTheGap is the best thing I’ve ever done – now I’m a completely different person – I have my dream job in a care home, lots of friends and lots to live for.”

- Amie, WeGrow graduate

More Stories

OUR STORY

WeMindTheGap

WeMindTheGap began as the Moneypenny Foundation – with the vision of giving new opportunities in life and work to under-served young women in our local communities.

In 2017, we became WeMindTheGap. We chose our name to reflect the fact that our programmes fill any gaps in the lives of the young people we support – ensuring that under-served young people have the basics in place that the rest of us take for granted – a trusted person to turn to, a positive role model, a safe place to live, a healthy meal, confidence and basic skills.

Since 2014, our programmes have focused on changing the lives of young women. We are looking forward to delivering the same impacts and outcomes for young men, with a pilot programme launching in spring 2021.

Our programmes include work experience, coaching, mentoring, workshops, adventures and experiences – all designed to help young people to fulfill their potential – for under-served young people that we call our ‘gappies’.

Our gappies are referred via agencies such as Leaving Care, Youth Justice, DWP, and local homeless hostels. Through our programmes, they move towards a future with real choices where they are able to provide the best lives for themselves, and for their own children – breaking the cycle.

What we provide

Roundel Blue

Life skills

Work experience in 5 different work environments

New skills & experiences

Literacy & numeracy skills

Unashamed love & care

Life coaching

Role models

Intermediate outcomes

Roundel Pink

Higher aspirations

Choices of employment

Improved self esteem

Greater life skills

Improved mental health

Healthier body & mind

Final outcomes

Roundel Orange

Independent lives

Independent lives

TIMELINE

Our story so far

2014

Programme designed, with learnings gathered from Jamie Oliver’s ‘Fifteen’, and the charitable work of the Timpson Group. With support from Moneypenny a six-month pilot for eight women is run. It works!

2015

Moneypenny Foundation established. First full programme delivered – a six-month programme for 10 young women in Wrexham.

2017

Charity name changed to WeMindTheGap – programmes delivered in Wrexham, Flintshire and Liverpool – each with the support of an ‘auntie’ and ‘big sister’, five paid coaches, 10 volunteer mentors and over five employer partners.

2018

Sir John Timpson joined as WeMindTheGap’s first patron – he describes WeMindTheGap as “The best of the best for people with attachment issues”. First programme run in Manchester.

2018

WeMindTheGap awarded £1.1m of National Lottery Funding to support the charity to expand its programmes to 16 locations over the next few years. WeMindTheGap reaches the milestone of over 100 young women having graduated from the charity’s programme.

2020

In response to the pandemic, WeMindTheGap quickly mobilised to launch a virtual programme to reach young people who are now even more in need of support. Research also shows that since 2014, WeMindTheGap has achieved £7.9 million in social value and public-cost savings.

2021

The charity’s three programmes are renamed WeDiscover, WeGrow and WeBelong, and each cohort of gappies now has a Skipper (programme lead) and First Mate (welfare officer). This year also sees the first pilot of a WeMindTheGap men’s programme.

This isn’t just about tea, toast and a listening ear – it’s about real and lasting change.

We ensure that under-served young people have the basics in place that the rest of us take for granted.

A friend, a safe place to live, a healthy meal, confidence, and basic life skills.

26 weeks of life-changing paid work.

Gappies on our WeGrow programme are paid the government nationalminimum wage for 26 weeks of work with our employer partners.

Our gappies are referred via agencies such as Leaving Care, Youth Justice, DWP and homeless hostels.

A big thank you to our partners

These are the wonderful organisations and supporters that help us make our programmes so transformational for the young people we support.

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