Friends of Fresh Visions – £1,000 Donation

Axis has pledged a donation of £1000 to Fresh Visions, a charity that provides vital support programmes to children, young adults, and seniors.

Fresh Visions is the partner of one of our longstanding clients, Optivo Housing. Through their ‘Big Give Christmas Appeal’ we’re supporting their domestic abuse counselling project, Thrive.

Thrive is a service for young children which aims to equip survivors of domestic abuse with the skills to overcome their trauma. Zoe Jackson, Head of Services at Fresh Visions, spoke about the kind of support they provide and what impact it can have:

“Thrive is a trauma-informed counselling service for all survivors of domestic abuse regardless of age or gender. For those directly experiencing domestic abuse the impact is reasonably well known; but for the children who lived in the same home and either physically witnessed the abuse or witnessed the fallout, there is less understanding.

“These children are often traumatized by their experiences. This makes it difficult for them to function at home, at school and with peers. They feel disconnected, lack self-esteem, struggle with managing their emotions and are often labelled as difficult. We offer 121 sessions for these children held by a qualified and experienced counsellor. The children are supported in exploring the feelings behind their experiences in their own unique way. For some, this might be through play therapy, for others through creative tools and/or talking therapy.

“Children are averagely seen for about a year but can be seen for longer depending on the level of need. This is a unique but necessary offer to ensure children are given the best opportunity to fully heal. We know that by ensuring they have this opportunity they are less likely to experience mental health difficulties in adulthood.

“By the end of their counselling journey, clients have more positive relationships and healthier attachments leading to a more fulfilling experience in life as they feel able to participate in class and with peers. Their trauma symptoms are resolved, they feel safe once again and are more able to trust the world just as every child should”

Axis’ donation will help deliver that support for longer and offer more placements in the Thrive project, but Fresh Visions also supports young adults and seniors through other projects. Their young adult employment service in Sussex and Swale is called ‘Build Yourself’, a programme for 18 to 28-year-olds to do hands-on training (typically in painting and decorating) and find employment.

Their ‘Motivate’ programme runs in Sussex and South London for young people aged 10-16 and acts as an afterschool youth provision. Qualified youth workers help those experiencing a range of problems, from drug and alcohol misuse to gang-related issues. Using workshops and healthy lifestyle programmes, they help provide a better pathway towards better choices. The charity has recently started a project to tackle loneliness in those over the age of 55. They support people to go into employment and provide a buddy scheme, alongside health and wellbeing activities.

Whilst they are a relatively small charity, they have been able to expand, partly due to their great relationship with Optivo contractors. Axis is delighted to be able to help push that growth with our pledge towards this wonderful cause. A charity that not only helps vulnerable people but also provides a Fresh Vision of support in 2022.

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