the amber project
CA Impact Report 2021/22
The amber project
The Amber Project is a beacon of hope to many young people in Cardiff who experience the heart-wrenching struggle with self-harm. Each year many young people are referred to Amber having reached crisis point and what they find is somewhere they are accepted, loved and wanted, but they also find the help they need to move forward. The Amber Project saves lives and gives young people a reason to smile, even through some of life’s most difficult circumstances.
Caryl Stock is the Amber Project Coordinator and sees first-hand just how a young person’s life can be transformed by spending time with the staff and other young people at the project.
“The Amber Project has just experienced our most challenging year to date as we struggled with the impact of what has been termed ‘a post pandemic mental health tsunami’. Referrals to mental health services have reached an all-time high and this is clearly reflected in both the numbers and complexity of issues being experienced by the children and young people who are referred to Amber.”
While prior to COVID the wait for an initial meeting with the project was just 3 weeks, at present this has increased to an estimated 16-18 weeks.
On a positive note, all of our workshops are now up and running with two remaining online and thanks to generous funding we have started a new singing and music workshops and we have been able to increase our counselling capacity. We have an amazing team here, with everyone working above and beyond to offer the best possible support to young people. We are however very aware of the number of young people who are hurting that we are unable to support at present.
life after amber
life after amber
Recently a young person who has accessed the Amber Project some years ago got in touch to say…
“I was very suicidal when I was referred, deep in self harm and bulimia, struggling with keeping the secret that I had been groomed online a few years earlier. I wasn’t seen as worth anyone’s time. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) said I didn’t have any problems, the school just shouted at me for self-harming in the toilets, my family didn’t understand and made me feel alone, and I lost all my friends. I was the weird girl that cut herself. And I was hiding such deep pain. So much self-hatred. The Amber project gave me a place to connect with others. I was accepted. Cared for. Included. I will forever be grateful for that. I really do believe it saved my life.”
