Our Work

Programmes built for
the real terrain of adult life

In Practice

What our work actually looks like

In practice, our work looks like this: a circle of chairs in a school drama studio on a Tuesday afternoon, a facilitator asking a group of S6 pupils what stress actually feels like in their body before they've even opened a textbook about it.

It looks like a young woman from Crieff sitting down with a Know Your NHS worksheet and realising for the first time that she can register with a GP in St Andrews before she arrives, not after she's already struggling.

It looks like a Peer Connector from Blairgowrie taking a WhatsApp call from a mentee who is three weeks into a college placement in Aberdeen and having a harder time than he expected — and knowing exactly what to say, and what services to point him toward.

Our work is relational, specific, and grounded in trust built over time with the schools, families, and communities of Perth and Kinross. We do not do one-off assemblies and call it done.

We show up repeatedly, we follow up, and we measure what actually changes in the lives of the young people who come through our doors.

Group workshop in a Perth community hall

Know Your NHS workshop, community venue

1,100+ Young people
47 Workshops/year
14 Partners
Our Programmes

Four ways we prepare young people for what comes next

All programmes are free to every young person who takes part. They are delivered in secondary schools, community venues, and online across Perth and Kinross.

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Head First: Mental Wellbeing Programme

A six-session in-school programme giving S5 and S6 pupils a practical, honest foundation in mental health literacy.

Head First runs across two school terms and covers stress physiology, emotional regulation strategies, sleep and physical health as mental health tools, and how to recognise when you or a friend might need additional support. Each session uses scenario-based discussion and take-home resources designed in plain English. Schools tell us this is the programme their pupils refer back to most often in the months after leaving.

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Know Your NHS: Health Navigation Workshops

A practical two-session workshop demystifying adult healthcare registration and access for young people about to move away from home.

Many young people arrive in a new city without knowing how to register with a GP, how to access mental health referrals, or that some sexual health services are walk-in and confidential. Know Your NHS covers all of this in direct, non-patronising language, including how to use NHS Inform Scotland, how to advocate for yourself in a medical appointment, and what to do in a mental health crisis when you do not have an established care relationship. We partner with NHS Tayside to keep the content current and medically accurate.

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Life Toolkit: Practical Independence Skills

A four-session programme covering the practical adult terrain that school rarely has time for.

Life Toolkit sessions address budgeting on an entry-level income, understanding a tenancy agreement, cooking nutritious meals on a tight budget, and recognising the early signs of financial or housing stress before they escalate. We deliver these sessions in partnership with Citizens Advice Perth & Kinross and with housing association community workers, so the advice is specific, local, and actionable. Young people leave each session with a printed resource pack they can keep and return to.

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Peer Connectors: Near-Peer Mentoring

A structured mentoring initiative pairing recent school leavers with trained young volunteers who completed our programmes one to two years earlier.

Research consistently shows that near-peer support — guidance from someone just a step ahead, rather than from a professional adult — is among the most effective tools for young people navigating transition. Our Peer Connectors complete a 12-hour training programme covering active listening, boundary-setting, and signposting. They are then matched with younger participants for a six-month supported relationship. The programme benefits both sides: mentees gain a trusted point of contact, and Connectors build confidence, communication skills, and a formal volunteering record.

In the Room

Photographs from our programmes

Workshop session, Perth school

Head First session, S6, secondary school

Know Your NHS group workshop

Know Your NHS, community hall, Perth

Peer Connector training

Peer Connector training day

Every school leaver in Perth deserves to feel ready

Interested in bringing our programmes to your school or community? We would love to talk.

Get in touch