University students with seriously-ill relatives are set to receive support from the UPP Foundation via an £8k grant to ‘Hope Support Services’ – the UK charity which supports young people with family members suffering life-threatening illnesses.
The new grant will enable the Charity to expand its online support group for undergraduate and postgraduate university students who were struggling to cope with being away from a seriously-ill loved one.
It will also enable the Charity to recruit an online ‘Youth Management Team’ of young volunteers with direct personal experience of a family health crisis. The Team will work alongside the Charity’s staff to develop services for students, market it to their peers and act as ‘Hope Ambassadors’ at their university.
The grant will also support the development of training events for university staff and students, to enable staff to support students who are experiencing a family health crisis and for students to provide peer support to friends.
“The transition to adulthood is a difficult time for any young person but is made even more difficult when a close family member is seriously ill. Many of Hope’s young people find it extremely difficult to go away to university or college. This is why the partnership with the UPP Foundation is so exciting – it will help us to deliver support to students in this circumstance across the UK.” – Clare Thomas, CEO Hope Support Services.
“We are delighted to be funding Hope. The work they do to support young people facing the most difficult and heart-breaking personal circumstances is vital. Our grant to Hope will ensure more students with seriously ill family members get the support they need.” – Richard Brabner, Director of UPP Foundation.
