Emerge Avocacy

Awarded 2024-2025

We support young people who are coming into A&E departments across Surrey because of mental health issues. Sitting with them in hospital, our team provide reassurance and encourage young people to engage effectively with staff. We continue to support them for three months post discharge, building relationship and connecting young people with community resources to reduce risk of further crises, resulting in a reduction in demand on Police and Paramedics, and strengthening communities.

Our project team meet young people at their point of need and begin to build a trusting relationship with them in hospital which continues into the community post discharge. By doing this and connecting young people with community resources, and helps them to reconnect with a sense of hope and purpose for their futures.

At the HSYA Showcase last year we were approached by a staff member of another charity who told us that Emerge had actually supported her a number of years ago when she was in crisis. She told us that it had helped with her recovery and impacted her to the extent that she decided to pursue a similar line of work. She explained that her sessions with Emerge equipped her to be there for other young people and she wanted us to know how much difference it had made to her.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of the HSYA in helping us to be there for young people, and in bringing together like-minded charities after a common goal of seeing young people empowered and, in turn, becoming able to invest in their communities.