“I feel as though you have opened a gate and enabled me to walk through”
New Forest charity, It’s Your Choice, provides confidential and free information, support, advice and counselling for young people aged between 12 and 25 years old living in the New Forest area.
Our vision is that all young people aged 12-25 living in the New Forest are free from harm, can enjoy healthier and happier life styles, and are able to make a positive contribution to their community, through equal access to services relevant to their needs.
Our mission is to offer a safe, free, and confidential service that is accessible to all young people in the area, including those who are identified as rurally isolated, acting as a comprehensive access point to a whole range of services. Through the provision of drop in centres, outreach work, counselling, and other activities, we will enable young people to gain the knowledge, skills, and information they need to make informed and positive choices on issues which affect their daily lives.
Our aims are to:
- To respect the rights of young people and promote positive awareness of their needs.
- To enable young people to feel confident, respected, and valued and to work in partnership with them to develop their personal skills and resources.
- To support young people through the provision of information and advice, and to ensure they can access the most appropriate service for their needs.
- To provide an accessible universal service in order to improve the quality of life, and reduce barriers, for young people.
Our objectives are to
- To provide a comprehensive information advice and guidance service, signposting and referring to other services if appropriate, delivered through drop in sessions at a variety of locations, a free confidential helpline, and online resources, in order to maximise accessibility for young people in rural areas.
- To provide support through one to one counselling, group work, peer support, advocacy and other activities aimed at improving emotional and mental health and wellbeing, such as anger management.
- To offer specialist support for issues relating to substance misuse and a sexual health service that includes guidance on personal health and relationships, pregnancy testing and contraception advice.
- To work with schools, colleges, and partner organisations, agencies and groups to reach the widest possible number of young people.
- To undertake regular review and evaluation to ensure that we are continuing to meet identified needs, and to develop our services as appropriate.
- To involve young people in our work.
- To recruit, train, and support volunteers to develop and deliver our service.
