YMCA DownsLink Group

Support and Advice

The Support and Advice service is a safe space where any young person age 13-25 can talk to a worker one to one and receive support around a wide range of topics including:

Sexual health: access to the C Card (free condoms) scheme and relationship support. HIV, STI and Chemsex awareness support and referral pathways. 

Emotional health and wellbeing: Anger management advice, self-esteem support, self-harm, stress and anxiety, bullying support and help accessing mental health support and counselling. Support around ADHD and ASC referral for finding appropriate support and advice accessing GP and additional services. Advocacy support to access additional statutory and non-statutory services. 

Debt and benefits: Help filling in forms and support to make claims, budgeting and money management advice and help to access specialist benefit support. Support accessing ID and relevant information to enable access to appropriate support. Gambling support. 

Employment, Education and Training: Support completing CV's, job applications and searches, finding training and education, support accessing well-being teams, learning support mentors and referring to other appropriate services. Support with accessing transport for education. We support young people with accessing volunteering opportunities. Cooking classes with potential for additional training. Local training schemes and job opportunities. 

Cost of Living Crisis: Partner with external organisations to support funding and financial crisis for young people, in-house support accessing funding for essential items, food, energy bills and additional support. We offer a direct referral pathway to access funding through Brighton and Hove City Council and the Community Hub, completing referrals for Local Discretionary Social Fund, Housing Support Fund, Lift-Up Fund and Food Bank referrals - if you are unable to be supported by our Food Market project. 

We work in partnership with multiple organisations and a direct referral pathway for multiple forms all forms of support outside of housing. 

Food Market

YAC Food Market is a Youth-Led sustainable social grocery store in Brighton and Hove, supporting young people in accessing healthy, low-cost foods and shopping products at a simple one-stop shop – an easy way for young people who struggle to afford the rising cost of goods in a modern and sustainable approach to food waste and food poverty. The Food Market is keen to empower young people throughout the project, seeking volunteers, feedback, and inspiration for how YAC Food Market can reflect the needs of our community.  We are not a foodbank; our ethos is to support young people with food for free / low-cost and in a positive and empowering way.

Mental Health Support Co-ordinator

Mental Health Support Coordinators (MHSCs) at Youth Advice Centre work with young people aged 18-25, providing one-to-one support with a youth specific caseworker, providing a co-ordinated and holistic approach to mental health and well-being. Our support aims to engage young people who need support in multiple areas of their lives, not just their mental health. Our MHSC will help you to overcome barriers to accessing support from services relating to mental health. Our co-ordinated approach will support with accessing services relating to physical health; work, education and employment; community and peer support, and building social networks.

Family Mediation

Family Mediation is for 14- to 25-year-olds providing a safe space to talk and to share how you are feeling with a trained mediator to support the process. Mediation supports and improves relationship breakdown and has been successful in preventing youth homelessness.