An Appeal for the TurnAround Project

“I’m so lucky to have had this chance. If I was the Genie of the lamp, then I’d grant everyone the opportunity to go to the bush” – Wilderness Trail Participant 2007

As a supporter of the Wilderness Foundation UK, you will know the value of wilderness and the impact that exposure to this precious environment can make on the life of a young person. Since 1976 we have been working to inspire and educate the next generation – our children and grandchildren who will go on to shape our communities in the future. It has become more and more apparent to us as an organisation that in order to raise the value of wilderness for society, we need to show how exposure to it has a positive effect.

Recently, press attention has been very much focused on a trend of youth crime that is impacting into the heart of our communities. At the Foundation we are very much aware that we all must take responsibility for the impact of youth crime and we want to take positive steps to reverse this trend. That is why we have created The TurnAround Project.

Working with representatives from the Police, Connexions, Youth Offending Team and experienced Psychologists, Counsellors, Therapists and Educational Specialists, we have developed a nine month programme that will give young people the chance to break away from their troubled background and acquire the skills they need to make better choices for the future. The programme is built around wilderness trails, environmental and community workshops and one-to-one sessions with volunteer life coaches drawn from our local community. We aim to support them into work or further education at the end of the project and our vision is to enable them to peer mentor the next group of young people who come through the project.

If a young person reaches the stage where they are sentenced and detained, the average cost to the UK Tax Payer is £40,000 per annum. A nine-month placement on Turn Around will cost just £5,000 – and make a positive impact on the life of a young person at a most crucial time.

We have raised a significant amount of funding for the first year of Turn Around, through the generosity of the livery companies, financial institutions and individual fundraising efforts. However, we need to raise a further £25,000 for the pilot project. Please would you support us in our aims, by making a donation to the Wilderness Foundation UK? It has become a cliché, but however large or small the amount you can afford to give, it really will make a lasting difference and change not only the life of the participant, but benefit each and every one of us. The re-offending rate among those detained for youth crimes is 89%. We want to stop young people ever getting that far. Our project is modelled on a programme that has already proven successful in South Africa, with an 85% reduction in re-offending rates.

Please take a moment to think about how your positive action now, in supporting the Wilderness Foundation UK, will help to address something that concerns us all and affects our futures.

It’s easy to make a difference – send cheques made payable to “Wilderness Foundation UK” to:

The Appeal Coordinator
Wilderness Foundation UK
47-49 Main Road
Broomfield
CHELMSFORD
Essex
CM1 7BU

or alternatively you can donate online using any major debit or credit card by visiting:

http://www.justgiving.com/turnaround2007

If you are a UK tax payer you can make your donation go even further by completing the Gift Aid declaration below and returning it with your cheque.

We really do appreciate your continued support.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely




Jo Roberts

Director - WFUK

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GIFT AID DECLARATION


Name………………………………………………………………………………………

Address……………………………………………………………………………………

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I am a UK Taxpayer: [ ]
I want the Wilderness Foundation UK to reclaim
tax on my donation: [ ]

Value of your donation:__________