At Meningitis Now, our vision is a future where no-one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives.
Fighting meningitis has been our driving force for over 35 years; but our work is far from over. 22 people every day are still affected by this terrible and devastating disease. They will continue to need our aftercare and support, both now and in the future; and until meningitis is eliminated from the UK, it's vital that we continue to raise awareness and fight back against the disease.
The Pixel Fund have recognised the importance of the work that we do and are generously donating £7,000, specifically towards our Believe and Achieve programme, which is a project for young people aged 11 - 25 who have been affected by meningitis. The aim is to help young people think about where they are in life, set and achieve goals, overcome challenges, make new friends, learn new skills, celebrate successes and ultimately, give them the confidence to believe in themself.
We run B&A Days and socials, host weekends away and offer activities and support from a variety of professionals: life coaches, Next Step mentors, peer mentors and counsellors. Believe & Achieve isn't a one-size-fits-all service - it's very much about the individual and what they want.
Everyone has different experiences in life. That includes when they or the person close to them had meningitis, how it affected them and any after-effects or the changes that have happened in their life as a result. That's why the Believe & Achieve team meet with people for a chat. We chat about what they enjoy, what their hobbies and struggles are, and give them the opportunity to talk about what they want to get out of life. Once we've had this chat we discuss the activities and support available.
We offer a variety of different events and services, but it's completely up to the young person how much they want to get involved. Some might access a range of things, but others might just want to access one.
The key outcomes we aim to see for our young people are:
Improved life chances: Young people will gain skills, knowledge and confidence to reach specific life goals that will result in a more successful, fulfilling and productive future.
Improved mental health and emotional resilience: Young people will feel less anxious and stressed and will have greater emotional resilience to manage the impact of meningitis and other challenges in their lives.
A stronger community: Young people will feel more supported by others by being part of a vibrant, active community of young people whose lives have been impacted by meningitis. They will have fun, meet new people, feel supported and use their skills and learning to support others.
Thank you, once again, to The Pixel Fund, for supporting this vital work and helping us to improve the lives of young people, affected by meningitis.