The IDENTITY Project

Accredited by NCFE

The IDENTITY Project is a 13-week course for young people that is designed to build their resilience, confidence, self-esteem and to develop their emotional intelligence. This is achieved through facilitated workshops using techniques and questions derived from Coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). It includes guiding the young people to use positive self-talk, perceptual positioning, modelling, future pacing and a variety of other techniques.

These established and proven techniques will:

Build on the existing strengths of learners while improving their weaknesses
Develop self-awareness, self-knowledge and insight
Encompass the Six Core Human Needs

This approach significantly boosts the positive energy of young people, connecting their values to what they actually do. In turn, this makes them happier and more successful as they become resourceful and resilient in the face of adversity. The motivation of youngsters is also enhanced, creating opportunities for them to set short, medium and long-term goals as they identify possible barriers they have created for themselves and make the necessary changes for their future success. All planned activities support the PSHE curriculum and ties in with the promotion of British Values through the provision of SMSC Education.

The impact of this project will be measured by:

Achievement of a Level 1 or Level 2 accreditation
360-degree feedback process involving: peers, parent/s or carer/s, teaching staff across all subjects and external agency staff working with individuals.

This process will be used to score each young person on a range of alleged competencies at the onset of the project and when the project is complete.

Evidence and analysis of communication methods, style and self-assessment reviews
Analysis of hard data, such as attendance, GCSE predictions and school-based behaviour monitoring records. These will also be used at the start and end of the project. Young people (x6) who have scored very low on the 360-degree feedback in specific areas of their school and home life, which could potentially become problematic in the future, can receive 6 weeks of one-to-one coaching, a 30 to 60-minute session per week via school referral to Elevated Minds.

Social Purpose

Parents & Staff

As an early intervention programme, The IDENTITY Project gets to the heart of the social impact that truancy, low self-esteem and crime are wielding, and it tackles the problem head-on.

The young people who participate in The IDENTITY Project are empowered to say ‘no’ to negative pressures and mean it. They are also given the skills and tools to make choices that will impact positively on their life outcomes in the short, medium and long term.

The course gives youngsters the time and opportunity to clarify who they are, what they have to offer, what they want to achieve, and what they need to prioritise to attain their goals. Young people are then able to use this knowledge to make significant changes in their lives as they develop coping mechanisms and improve resilience.

Participants will also develop social and emotional skills, such as effective communication skills and how to be empathetic, giving them the ability to co-operate with peers and adults, even when they are out of their comfort zone.

All young people will have an IDENTITY Project Workbook, which can be added to, not only as they progress through the project, but also following the end of the project. This will create a profile for the learner, encompassing everything they have learned with the aim of creating a C.V.

Young people will be able to continue to practice the skills and techniques they have acquired in subsequent years and add to what they have learned through ensuing experiences.

Further outcomes of The IDENTITY Project are:

Young people achieving a Level 1 or a Level 2 qualification, accredited by NCFE
Young people demonstrating greater self-confidence and taking charge of their own decision-making
Young people showing improved self-esteem and talking positively about their futures
Young people being motivated to challenge their behaviours and make changes
Schools and learning institutions recording and reporting improved attendance
Schools and learning institutions reporting improved participation in lessons
Young people developing and sustaining wider and healthier relationships
Schools, learning institutions and authorities reporting reduced conflict situations in both internal and external environments
Reduction in anti-social behaviour amongst participants, thus reducing the potential of them getting involved with criminal activity

Introduction to The IDENTITY Project

The IDENTITY Project Summary

Anti-social behaviour and violent crime are on the rise in the UK. Almost every day, the media informs us of yet another incident. It is an issue that affects society now, and it will continue to do so if appropriate and effective measures are not put into place.

To tackle this problem, Doreen Sinclair-McCollin and Akeila Browne have created an early intervention programme called The IDENTITY Project. Through their extensive work in schools and prisons, respectively, they recognised the connection between truancy, low self-esteem and crime. Thus, The IDENTITY Project has been designed as a 13-week course to build resilience, improve confidence, enhance self-esteem and develop emotional intelligence with young people (aged 10 to 17 years) and their families.

The course will specifically target vulnerable young people, including:

Those who are considered to be school refusers
Those with a low attendance rate
Those at risk of exclusion from mainstream schools
Those who have experienced fixed term exclusions or who have been permanently excluded from school
Those categorised as ‘looked after’ by local authorities
Those who are known to youth offending teams and/or the police

Both Doreen’s and Akeila’s professional experience has solidified their conviction that empowering youngsters through The IDENTITY Project will contribute to the reduction of anti-social behaviour and crime amongst the participants of this course.

The effectiveness of The IDENTITY Project has already been demonstrated through a successful pilot project at a secondary school in Birmingham and also at schools in Southwark and Westminster, London.

Four package options are available for schools to participate in this programme and connect with the vision behind The IDENTITY Project.