Callum
"Over 14% of children with Autism experience suicidal thoughts compared to 0.5% of Neurotypical children "
"Adults with Autism are 9 times more likely to die by suicide than those with out Autism" sadly at just 18 our son became one of those statistics.
My name is Laura and I am the Founder of Callum’s Voice, a Registered Charity and Voluntary Organisation founded in memory of my son Callum who we tragically lost to suicide aged just 18 in April 2019, Callum had Autism and found life really difficult.
Originally a CIC (community interest company) after much hard work and dedication we became a fully Registered Charity in Feb 2020, since then we have worked tirelessly to support those with Autism and mental health conditions (and their families) we do this on a voluntary basis.
"Suicide was the leading cause of death between males and females from 5 to 34 in 2019"
Our Vision is "A world where children and young people with Autism and mental health conditions are understood, valued and supported"
In Feb 2019 we signed the lease for our very own preloved boutique which we hoped would bring in enough income to fund our projects, sadly this did not work out due to Covid 19 and after only 1 year we had to close, though we are continously trying to fund raise but we have not been able to do as much as we could before Covid so our funds are decreasing at a time when they are needed the most.
"83% of young people with mental health needs agreed that the Coronavirus Pandemic had made their mental health worse"
Are latest project is to fund fund/private specialist counselling sessions for young people with Autism and/or mental health conditions as we know that for many families this is just not affordable at £40-£50 per session but we also know NHS waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are just too long generally 1-2 years and for many help is needed now, although we have started this project we need to raise funds to be able to sustain and develop this service, early intervention is key to give our young people the best chance in life to thrive and reach their full potential.
"One in 6 children aged 5-16 where identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2021, a huge increase from one in nine in 2017, that's five children in every classroom"
Whilst we want to support all children and young people, we particularly want to target young people of transition age (transitioning between child and adult services) as we find those individuals in particularly are slipping through the net at a time when they need the support the most.
"Nearly half of young people 17-19 years with a diagnosable mental health disorder has self harmed or attemped suicide at some point rising to 52.7% for young women."
Everything we do we aim to "Empower young people so that they are heard"
We know its too late for our son but its not too late for your children or your childrens children, together we can make a difference, please help us make sure our sons tragic death will never have been in vain and help us empower young people so that they are heard.
The more money we can raise the more young people we can support/empower, please donate if you can, we appreciate every penny.
Find out more about Callum's Voice here www.callumsvoice.org.uk
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