We're Free to Be, a children's charity supporting particularly vulnerable children to change their stories about who they are, and who they can be. We help children who have often grown up with significant adversity or hardship to more often feel proud of themselves and to experience feeling brave, adventurous, included and successful - often for the first time in a long time. We do this using overnight adventures and nature based residentials; after-school groups; and mentoring support. We work using the inherent power of the outdoors, animals, nature and self-expression - all of which are integral to the programmes we run. Children experience meeting animals at the farm, building dens in the forest, building rafts in teams to paddle across a lake, standing on the beach for the first time, cooking together in groups, camping out under the stars and a wide range of other activities all carefully designed to both broaden horizons, but also to scaffold the building of self-confidence, resilience, and trust in others. Our aim is to open up a sense of adventure, freedom and possibility for children who are struggling, whatever life's circumstances. Above all we believe that every child deserves to feel wanted, special and valued and to experience joy and adventure within their childhood. In turn, this translates to improvements in confidence, ability to get on with others and the capacity to learn. All of our projects are staffed by volunteers who give up their time for free to make a difference in the lives of others.
