Our funded projects

Aspire

Aspire is a learning and development programme for vulnerable young people, designed to improve the number of young people retained in and successfully exiting substance misuse treatment. Aspire is a 12 week accredited programme that covers things like good citizenship, leadership skills and developing personal confidence. When they have completed the course, young people are encouraged to carry out volunteering projects in their local community such as environmental projects or running drug and alcohol awareness talks for parents.

Aspire started in Cornwall (funded by Big Lottery Fund) and North Lancashire (funded by v) in June 2010.

Transitions project

This project works with young people aged between 17 and 24 in Derby who need additional support as they move into adulthood. The project offers one-to-one and group support and works in a flexible way to meet the needs of these young adults - for instance meeting young people in informal settings or working out of normal office hours.

The workd is funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust and the Derby Drug and Alcohol Action Team. The link with Barrow Cadbury Trust has led to our involvement in the Transitions 2 Adulthood Alliance.

Young people's outreach project

Funded by Comic Relief, this project provides targeted, intelligence-led outreach work for young people in Worthing who are identified as being high risk drinkers. We work with police, health and social services to engage with young people in parks and other hotspots for anti-social behaviour, as well as offering follow-up home visits and training sessions for police, teachers and other professionals.

Over 50s Project

This project in West Glasgow works with people aged over 50 who have alcohol problems. These older people are often experiencing a range of severe physical problems and can be extremely isolated. The project uses assertive outreach to engage with clients (this means multiple visits to a person's home to build their trust), SMART Recovery groups and social and leisure activities. Over the first year of the project there have been noticeable reductions in alcohol use and improvements in social functioning.

There are a few dedicated projects for older people who have substance misuse problems and our work will help develop best practice in this area. The project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund.

Brent - Drugs, Gangs and Knives

Addaction has been awarded a grant from Brent Council to pilot work with young people who are in, or vulnerable to joining, gangs. We will carry out targeted outreach work in areas where groups of young people congregate and offer a mix of one-to-one sessions, group work and diversionary activities to help move young people away from gangs, drugs and alcohol.