“I can build the life I want”

The Arsenal Foundation, alongside Islington Giving, has helped to fund a suicide prevention service at Body & Soul, a charity that addresses the life-threatening effects of childhood adversity in people of all ages. Andrea Esposito Diaz, Body & Soul’s Head of Fundraising & Partnerships, tells us about it.

“The Arsenal Foundation and Islington Giving’s support has been instrumental in the expansion of our suicide prevention services. Through this continued support, our flagship programme You Are Not Alone (YANA) has successfully supported 465 suicidal young people over the past year.

“YANA works with young people most at risk of suicide, aged 16 to 35. All our members have attempted suicide at least once before joining the programme, with most attempting multiple times. 

“The severity of our members’ mental health needs means each of them are living with a condition that impacts daily life functioning. Some are dealing with multiple long-term mental and physical health issues. All YANA members can be described as having a mental health disability.

“Prior to joining YANA, our members were grappling with various past and ongoing trauma, navigating a range of complex needs that remained unaddressed while they waited in a cycle of hospitalisations and service transitions. Often termed ‘revolving door patients’, the long waiting lists between each transition led to further deterioration in their situation. Many of our members have lost all hope at the point of joining YANA. But from that very first point of contact, we demonstrate to our members that we are a far cry from all the other services they will have experienced. 

“We support our members to not only survive but thrive through our holistic model of support, which addresses every aspect of life. Despite their complex needs, our members undergo a complete transformation and, upon completing the programme, demonstrate a significant improvement in their mental health. 

“Since joining YANA, 94 per cent of our members made no further suicide attempts during the programme and 100 per cent reported a reduction in self-harm. In addition, all members feel as though they have more skills and strategies to cope when life gets hard and feel more able to manage difficult relationships.

“As part of our graduation celebration, our members write speeches to describe the profound transformation they have undergone. One of our graduates wrote: 

“When I came to Body and Soul six months ago, I did not imagine I would ever be giving this speech. I had very little hope that I could feel better, but I told myself that I could commit to it for six months and I am so proud that I did. This programme has meant that, for the first time, I feel like I understand what is going on in my own head. I know I have the skills to overcome things that for so long have felt impossible. And coming to the group each week has been the biggest comfort of all, because I no longer feel like I am alone.

“I don’t want to say that everything in life is fine now, because I still struggle with a lot of things. But I now feel like I have a framework with which I can build the life I want…”

For more information visit bodyandsoulcharity.org