What we do

We aim to support displaced young people in Surrey through a nurturing programme of projects and activities.

​We want to help them build fulfilling lives in the UK, grow in self-confidence, realise their potential and identify possibilities for their future while creating safe and supportive relationships in their communities.
© Big Leaf Foundation 2022

Our strands of work

Through our direct experience working with displaced young people we have come to understand some of the main challenges they face. Our projects are specifically tailored to address these challenges and are built around 4 strands: health and wellbeing, knowledge, safety and community.

These strands are designed to complement one another and often overlap. The projects below are all part of our current core offering. If you'd like to refer a displaced young person for projects or casework support, please use our referral form.

Health and Wellbeing

Creative Arts

Bringing people together through music and art based projects

Sport

Building connections and improving wellbeing through sport

Knowledge

Education

Developing English language skills and building cultural literacy

Summer School

Annual summer schools to boost language and learn new skills

Young Leaders

Supporting young people to build leadership skills and confidence

Safety

Rights and Responsibilities

Building trust in the legal system and those enforcing it

Casework

Ensuring young people have access to the support they need

Campaigns and Advocacy 

Making our voices heard in debates about displacement

Community

Youth Hubs

A space for young people to ask for advice and get together

Residentials

A time for young people to switch off and build lasting friendships

Partnerships

Community is at the heart of what we do and we are exceptionally grateful to the donors, partner organisations and the wider community who give their time, expertise and commitment and without whom we couldn’t do this work.

Over the last 7 years Big Leaf has built a network of more than 70 community and multi-agency partners and a team of dedicated volunteers who together give over 3000 hours a year to supporting displaced young people.

We’re proud to be an established and trusted organisation offering support to resettled young people in Surrey and look forward to continuing to grow our community. We are continually open to new partnerships and you can find out more about our partners here.