**UPDATE JULY**

We've received an additional £2.000 from the Salters' Charitable Foundation to further support our young people through the crisis and beyond!

A Massive THANK YOU to all of you. Your generosity and belief in our young people is absolutely fantastic and we are immensely grateful to have your support.

If you'd like to learn more about the challenges our young people are facing and what your support has achieved so far have a look at our blog. For more stories, events and updates we encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter.

So, what's next? - Recovery!

Over the past couple of months we've seen so many of our young people struggle, not only financially, but also mentally. Isolation, loneliness, uncertainty... all of these exacerbated the multiple issues care-experienced young people already had to deal with prior to the pandemic. Employment Consultants, volunteers, mentors and partners, we all pulled together to help our young people regain their strength, confidence and motivation.

Every additional pound raised will go towards providing the support, tools, and networks these young people need to bounce back from what could be one of the most challenging years of their lives. Drive Forward support for young people includes:

• bespoke 1-2-1 support;
• virtual learning and skills development;
• recruitment of new corporate partners to increase career opportunities;
• continued financial assistance for those experiencing hardship;
• mentoring, counseling, advocacy support 

We know that the crisis isn't over and that for many young people the worst is yet to come. An economic recession, lack of employment opportunities, reduced social services... Thank you for your support and for believing in the potential of young people!

Image: Kicking off the Civil Service Internships in early March. We can't wait to see these smiles again soon!

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This is not the time for catchy slogans and memorable images. Care leavers need your help to get through this crisis and they need it now!

"My fears are that I will be on my own with no food and no electricity and can’t afford to feed my cats. As I have depression it will make me feel separated and alone." - R. 23, care leaver

The current crisis affects us all. Nevertheless, care-experienced young people will disproportionately suffer the consequences of the world fighting the Coronavirus. Many of them have lost their jobs or student bursaries with no recourse to advance payments from public funds, no savings in the bank and no family to support them financially or emotionally.

"For us, where do we turn when we have no money or no money for bills? Organizations are exhausted and have little to nothing to be able to give. Universal Credit is unable to give out advances as you’re still paying off the one you owed from last year not knowing that a crisis was looming." - T. 21, care leaver

These young people are eager to move forward in life, and in times of crisis, they rely on all of us to support them.

"I’ve struggled with my depression and anxiety for a number of years and it tends to worsen as I feel demotivated or unable to get out and about." - M. 19, care leaver

Your donation will help them:

• pay their gas, electricity and water bills, helping them not fall into debt;
• cover their broadband and mobile phone bills so that they can stay connected, continue their education and find support;
• help them buy daily essentials from food, to toiletries, to flu medicine, to baby nappies and pet supplies;
• access additional support to help the cope with the current situation.

Together, we can help care-experienced young people get through this crisis. Thank you for your support today!

To learn more about care leavers, our charity, or find out how you can have a real impact through volunteering please visit driveforwardfoundation.org

To receive regular updates on how our young people are doing as well as interesting (virtual) events and stories subscribe to our newsletter.

Our amazing partners at Tideway have made £5,000 available to further boost your donations. They will match any amount until the pot is full!

This means that your £10 donation is now worth £20 and if you add Gift Aid you'll support a care leaver with £22.50 in total!