Our Projects & Programmes
At UTurn we run targeted projects and programmes that support children and young people to stay safe, well and hopeful about their future.
Each project has been created in response to real needs in our community – from youth violence and exploitation to mental health, sport, warmth and youth voice.
Explore our current projects below to see who they’re for, what we offer and how to get involved.
Across all our projects we aim to:
- Divert young people away from violence, exploitation and risky situations
- Build confidence, resilience and emotional wellbeing
- Support families and schools to keep young people safe
- Create positive opportunities for leadership, sport and community action
Youth Ambassadors
Our Youth Ambassadors programme empowers young people to become leaders and decision-makers within UTurn. Ambassadors share their views on what young people need, help shape our services and represent their peers in the community.
Operation Flourish
Operation Flourish works with young people identified by UTurn and schools as being at risk of exclusion, serious violence or county lines. The programme helps them build safer choices and positive relationships with supportive adults, including partners in policing and education.
Youth Violence Intervention Project
This project tackles the causes and impact of youth violence. Through mentoring and educational work with at-risk young people, it focuses on understanding knife crime, its consequences and practical ways to prevent victimisation and offending
UTurn 2 Staying Warm
UTurn 2 Staying Warm supports young people through the colder months, helping them access warm clothing, essentials and other resources so they can stay safe, warm and well.
UTurn 2 Sport
UTurn 2 Sport offers safe, structured sports activities that build confidence, teamwork and physical health. Young people can get active, make friends and have fun while staying off the streets and engaged in something positive.
The UTurn Wellbeing and Resilience Programme
This programme supports young people’s mental health, emotional wellbeing and resilience. It helps them develop coping strategies, self-awareness and confidence so they can manage challenges and move towards a more positive future.
The Impact Youth Project
The Impact Youth Project is a community-based mentoring and educational project focused on early intervention. It aims to prevent long-term anti-social behaviour, social exclusion and criminal offending through one-to-one and group mentoring in the places young people spend time.
Operation Shield
Operation Shield is a proactive safety initiative delivered in partnership with other agencies. It gives young people advice, information and support around knife crime and serious violence, helping them stay safe and make informed choices.
UTurn 2 Staying Safe
UTurn 2 Staying Safe is a youth engagement initiative that encourages safe, kind and responsible choices. Young people learn about risks like youth violence and knife crime and are given creative ways to express themselves and promote safety in their community.
Jack Petchey Achievement Awards
Through the Jack Petchey Achievement Award Scheme we recognise and celebrate young people who go “above and beyond” at UTurn. Award winners receive a certificate and a grant that they help decide how to spend on something that benefits other young people in our projects.
Outreach & Community Support
Our outreach and street-based sessions take UTurn to the places young people spend time, especially in high-risk areas. Working with partners like Essex Police, we offer support, advice and positive activities on the streets and in the community.
UTurn Hub
The UTurn Hub is our welcoming youth space for 9–18s, offering mentoring, support, activities and a safe place to be. Open from 9am, after-school, evening and holiday sessions.
Qualifications, Skills & Volunteering
UTurn is an accredited centre offering ASDAN and functional skills courses, plus volunteering opportunities that build confidence, qualifications and real-world experience for young people.
Mental Health Mondays
Targeted mental health support sessions in Tendring, giving young people safe space at the start of the week to talk, reflect and build coping strategies around anxiety, low mood and everyday stress.
Female & SEND Focused Sports and Wellbeing
Sports and wellbeing activities focused on young women and girls with disabilities or who are vulnerable to violence and victimisation. Sessions are designed to support physical and mental health, build confidence and create safe spaces for young women who are marginalised or disengaged.
Mainstream Inclusion Project
Mentoring support for young people in Colchester who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or at risk of becoming NEET, helping them re-engage with learning, build confidence and plan next steps.
Food & Mood
A holistic family programme that links nutrition, exercise and emotional wellbeing. Families take part in practical sessions around healthy eating, movement and mood, alongside support with food poverty where needed.
Next Steps – transition support
Transitional support for vulnerable pupils moving from primary to secondary school. Next Steps helps young people build confidence, social skills and resilience so they feel more prepared for the move to year 7
Men Too!
Mental health and wellbeing sessions for young men aged 17–25 in Colchester, providing space to talk, challenge stigma and build healthier ways of coping with stress, relationships and life pressures.
Christmas Present Appeal
Our annual Christmas appeal providing gifts and support for children and young people from under-privileged families, helping them feel remembered and valued during the festive season.
Motion to Change
A developing youth-led project that will recruit and train large numbers of Youth Ambassadors to deliver peer-led interventions around gender-based violence and harmful ideology. Trained ambassadors will help recruit and mentor the next cohort, creating a self-sustaining “movement for change”.