TGt meets....The SAFEmpowerment founder, a charity dedicated to helping vulnerable young people

In a world where young people face increasing dangers from exploitation, criminal behavior, and a lack of education around healthy relationships, there are organisations stepping in to fill the gap. One such organisation is SAFEmpowerment.

SAFEmpowerment is a local charity dedicated to working with vulnerable young people. We sat down with the founder of the charity, Sharon Ellis-Gillard, to talk about the origins of the organisation, the impact they’ve made, and the challenges they face as they continue to grow.

Q: Can you tell us a little about why you started SAFEmpowerment?

Founder: The charity was initially started to work with teens around the topic of healthy relationships. I felt there was a huge gap in education—no one was talking about the warning signs, the red flags in relationships. There was little to no preventative education in place. It became clear to me that this lack of awareness was contributing to the issues many young people were facing. But as we grew, we quickly expanded our focus. Now, we spend much of our time working with vulnerable young people who are at risk of exploitation—whether that be sexually, through county lines, or engaging in anti-social behavior. We also work with youths who are on the edge of criminal behavior, trying to turn them around before they make decisions that could ruin their lives.

Our mission is simple but powerful: we dedicate time to speak to young people in an effort to prevent them from becoming the victims or perpetrators of tomorrow. We have a small but passionate team—two full-time staff, two part-time staff, and ten volunteers. Together, we are working hard to make a difference.

Q: What inspired you to take this path and start the charity?

Founder: Before starting SAFEmpowerment, I worked in a women’s refuge. My time there was eye-opening. Talking to the victims in the refuge, it became clear that many of them had not received any kind of input or education in schools about healthy relationships. It was a huge missing piece of the puzzle, and that’s why I originally started SAFEmpowerment. I wanted to help young people before they reached the point of needing a refuge. Prevention is always better than cure.

Q: The statistics around young people and violence are shocking. Can you share some of the data that drives your work?

Founder: The numbers are horrifying. In just a three-year period, 5,500 sex crimes were reported in UK schools, and that included 600 rapes. These are only the reported crimes—there’s so much that goes unreported. Additionally, 75% of girls and 50% of boys reported experiencing some form of emotional abuse in a relationship.

When it comes to youth violence, the numbers are equally devastating. In the 12 months leading up to March 2022, 99 young people under the age of 25 were murdered with a knife or sharp object, and 13 of those victims were under 16 years old. Even more alarmingly, for 70% of people arrested with a knife, it was their first offense. These statistics drive home the urgent need for intervention and education, which is what we strive to provide.

Q: You’ve shared some powerful stories about the impact of SAFEmpowerment. Can you tell us about a few of your clients and the changes you’ve seen in their lives?

Founder: Of course. There are so many stories I could share. One that stands out is Client A, a 14-year-old girl who had horrific self-harm scars. She was cutting herself every day. Her mother was using drugs, and Client A was left caring for her younger sister. I worked with her for 20 weeks on a weekly basis. Four weeks ago, we completed our work together, but she still has our client phone number and messaged me yesterday to tell me that she hasn’t self-harmed for three months, two weeks, and 11 days. She’s now back in school after two years of absence, and she’s living with her grandparents in a healthy family environment. Stories like hers remind me why we do what we do.

Then there’s Client B, who was just 13 years old when we started working with her. She was taking drugs, hanging out with older kids, getting into trouble with the police every week, and had sadly been sexually abused. I worked with her for five months, and during that time, we focused on her mental health and anger. She just wanted someone to listen to her. Now, she’s back in school every day and has passed all her GCSEs. These transformations are the reason I wake up and do this work every day.

Q: What challenges are you currently facing as an organisation?

Founder: We’re a small charity, but we work seven days a week. We have a waiting list of children who need our help, and that’s one of our biggest challenges—there’s always more need than we can meet. I get phone calls from mothers every week, asking us to work with their children. The most important thing to me is raising more funds so we can reach more young people. If we had more resources, we could expand our team and help more children in need. That’s my number one priority right now—making sure we have the support to grow.

The work being done by SAFEmpowerment is vital, not just for the individuals we support, but for the future of communities everywhere. By stepping in before it’s too late, this small charity is making a big difference—one young person at a time. The success stories speak volumes about the importance of early intervention, support, and education.