Stephanie has chosen local charity Time4Children to support during her term of office:
"Time4Children is a charity who listens to children and as a qualified life coach and a mother of 4, this is something that resonates with me.
By listening to children who struggle with grief, broken family situations, bullying and all sorts of different unexpressed traumas, the children are given a tool that will serve them well for the rest of their lives – the ability of talking things out, the ability of not keeping it all bottled up. This can potentially nip mental health problems in the bud or at the very least help them cope with things better when they arise in the future.
Happy and open children make happy and open adults, giving children the best possible start in life so that they can achieve their full potential. I am honoured and delighted to announce Time4Children as my charity for my term of office.”
About Time4Children
Time 4 Children provides free 1:1
support sessions, to emotionally vulnerable children, of primary school age in
Mid Sussex. Each year we aim to support around 45 children, with at least 675
sessions of emotional listening support. In these sessions children can share
their worries, anxieties or fears, with a trained volunteer practitioner using
reflective listening and non-directive play techniques. Children need our
support for a variety of reasons: they may be dealing with anxiety, family
breakdown, parental mental health issues, domestic violence, bereavement and
special educational needs, to name a few.
Money raised this year will help towards the cost of training more volunteer practitioners, supplying toys and equipment for the sessions. Providing staff to supervise and support the volunteers, assess referrals, visit families and liaise with schools. It will help provide ongoing training courses and DBS checks for all volunteers and staff. As a tiny charity relying solely on fundraising and donations we simply cannot survive without this kind of support. Parents, schools and the children themselves regularly tell us what a difference our sessions make. The children are less anxious and worried, they have improved self-confidence, better concentration, greater levels of resilience and increased self-esteem.
Without such kindness and generosity from the community, many children would remain unsupported and could go on to develop serious mental health problems before they reach secondary school.
For more information or to contact Time4Children, call 0144
440547 Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm or email office@time4children.org.uk. Visit the
website: https://www.time4children.org.uk/ or help fundraise by emailing
events@time4children.org.uk
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