About Elevated Minds
How did we start?
Elevated Minds CIC was founded after bringing together the experiences of our co-founders Doreen Sinclair-McCollin and Akeila Browne. After running the first iteration of The IDENTITY Project back in 2014, they witnessed the effects that coaching had on vulnerable young people and those who were also excluded from mainstream education.
Many of the young people had very low self-esteem, believing that they were incapable of academic success or academic progress. Their attitude toward the education system was very much nothing to lose, nothing to gain!
Our co-founders identified that when the young people were given the tools to express their thoughts, feelings and emotions, their behaviour changed drastically, leading to improved attainment and achievement, better behaviour, increased attendance at school, more positive relationships and therefore a reduction in sanctions and exclusions.
Off the back of this realisation, Elevated Minds CIC was formed and has worked with young people and staff within educational establishments, with families and within the community since. Not only have we created impact with different groups within society, our staff members and our young people have gone on to win awards thanks to the work we have done.
Where We Work
Elevated Minds works in schools and communities across Southwark and other boroughs in London. We also run national programmes across England and Wales.
2663
students across 44 schools have received support from us and have changed their life for the better.
475
participants have contributed to our mission while also benefiting from our training programmes
— including teaching staff, professionals, and Met Police recruits.
What We Do
We specifically work with young people at risk of becoming excluded or suspended from mainstream school and becoming involved in crime. Our participants come from low-income backgrounds and often from Black communities.
We specialise in focusing on young people who:
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have a negative attitude towards the education system
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experience low self-esteem
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are at risk of or have been permanently excluded from mainstream schools
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believe that they are incapable of academic success or academic progress
We work with vulnerable children and young people and gifted and talented children and young people in a group or 1:1 setting. We also have programmes specifically designed for parents, teaching staff, and other professionals.
Elevated Minds / The IDENTITY Project takes them on a life-changing journey that increases motivation and aspirations, changing worthlessness into success. Through coaching and personal development workshops, we empower young people to have more autonomy over their lives, develop their emotional intelligence and transform their relationship with their school and their families.
We partner with corporate and community organisations, educational institutions, social care, and the police, to support them in working with young people and families. We require our partners to be invested in innovation, creativity, and the power of a holistic approach to support, in order to achieve maximum and long lasting impact.
Unlike other coaching programmes, we are working not only with the young people, but also their teachers, their parents or carers and other professionals in their lives:
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To ensure the change we create in the young people’s minds is accelerated and sustained by the adults around them.
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So that parents, teachers and professionals can identify and reinforce new positive behaviours in the children, rather than perpetuate old broken interactions.
We have developed early intervention programmes and staff training.
You can read more about our programmes here.