UK Retreat for young people and families in crisis

Our Mission

120,000 PEOPLE TO DONATE £10 PLEASE!

Or book a place on one of our retreats

Or book a one of our B&Bs or our holiday home

Or invest in our retreat venue purchase

Our Focus

Our focus is on young people who feel they are struggling to succeed in school - who are vulnerable to low-attainment and who are in danger of becoming a ‘lost-learner’ by refusing to attend school, and/or to being excluded - since prospects for those who leave school without good grades are bleak. For instance, the consequences for young people who are excluded from school are reported to be poverty, loneliness and social isolation, alcohol and substance misuse, poor mental health, homelessness, the criminal justice system and even suicide. Since the number of permanent exclusions in South Wales has increased by 51% since 2015/16, the problem is persistent.

Many of these young people may not meet the criteria for receiving help from Children's Services but need the extra and long-term support, which schools often do not have the capacity to deliver - but we do!

Our Activities

Our activities are underpinned by evidence that these young people are often in families in crisis - perhaps challenged by poverty, unemployment, bereavement, mental ill health, addiction or family breakdown.

It is our intention to provide a safe and tranquil retreat for young people and their families, to have the time and space to be together to find a way through their difficulties, within a compassionate and loving community, where their stories are listened to and their voices are heard. Their stay may be a day, a weekend or a week at a time, and may be as many times until they no longer feel the need for support.

During their visits, they will have access to bespoke personal development coaching and appropriate health and wellbeing therapies. An important part of their long-term programme of support involves engagement in positive and purposeful activities together, which include education, creative arts and holiday activities, as well as opportunities for horticulture and to commune with nature in the surrounding beautiful countryside. In addition, everyone will be encouraged to participate in the stewardship and conservation of the  and its gardens, where encouraging care about local heritage is integral to awareness of identity, healing family relationships and building capability to overcome difficulties.

Our Approach

Our innovative strategy is an alternative contribution to the way our society is dealing with the disengagement of disadvantaged young people and to eradicating the attainment gap in education, as we tackle the problem at one of its root causes: young people in dysfunctional family situations out of their control. By working together with the parents/carers of our young people, fostering relationships and nurturing their own personal empowerment and improved wellbeing, we hope they will increase their confidence and capacity to support their children both at home and at school. The outcomes are that their children re-engage with their school and are better able to attain their academic potential and personal aspirations, and all their family will enjoy increased life chances with enhanced opportunities to participate in education, employment and society in general.  

It is also our hope that the young people and their families return as volunteers and become part of building a network of sustainable support for families in the area, where our retreats are a hub for the local community. Integral to this is a bridging partnership with schools as through our outreach work we bring about systemic change in education, catalysing a more family orientated schools: involving parents more fully in their children’s learning, and schools being wholehearted in their community outlook. 

It is our intention to ensure we have young people aged 16-25 represented on our board of trustees, and part of the leadership of the organisation.

Our Plan

Connection to Purpose CIO’s model is based on similar social enterprises: retreat venues that supplement their income with holiday letting; also, third sector organisations that work with local authorities who use their services for families in crisis, such as the highly successful Longmead Community Farm, in Dorset, and the renown Jamie’s Farms. Once our first retreat is established, the CIO would seek to operate in other areas of the UK.