0:00:10 > 0:00:13For some teenagers, life can be really tough.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20No-one really liked me, and I had to be by myself where it was better...
0:00:20 > 0:00:24safer. Cos I was scared of other people.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27I struggled with self-esteem.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30My confidence was really low.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I felt really lonely, left out and sad.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39I hear from a lot of young people who feel on their own in
0:00:39 > 0:00:41difficult or dangerous situations.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Maybe they're being bullied
0:00:43 > 0:00:46or maybe they're being drawn into crime or maybe they've got,
0:00:46 > 0:00:47like, difficult home life,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50and their parents are suffering from drug or alcohol problems.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54And just imagine what that would do for your self-esteem,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57and what that would do to your beliefs in the chances of a happy future.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Paige is 17, and is working hard at her summer job in
0:01:04 > 0:01:06a local theme park.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09There we go. The park closes at ten tonight, so you've got lots of time.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12But getting here hasn't been easy.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15When Paige was born, her mum was only 15,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18and she had her own issues to deal with.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Home life was fraught with rows,
0:01:20 > 0:01:24and Paige was bullied at school for her skin colour.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I got diagnosed with depression when I was 14.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29I was angry at the people that was hurting me.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31And no-one was listening to me.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35I started being antisocial and I kept on running away.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And I got in with people that were drinking, that were older.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41And I stayed out quite late. Kind of getting in trouble.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Things got really bad for Paige.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48She was bunking off school and even self-harmed.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52But then she heard about a charity that helps young people to
0:01:52 > 0:01:56find their way, no matter how far off-track they've travelled.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02The charity is called Youth At Risk, and what it does is put on
0:02:02 > 0:02:06these life-coaching courses for teenagers and for young adults.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Youth At Risk asks them to identify what is that thing that's
0:02:10 > 0:02:13stopping them from getting what they want out of life.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15And what can be done to achieve it.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Youth At Risk encourages teenagers to see themselves and their
0:02:21 > 0:02:23problems differently.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28Can you go back and change what happened to you, Jesse? No. No.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32What can you change? The future.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35This is one of the charity's tough five-day,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37intensive training courses.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Paige also went on one of these.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Hi, Paige. Hello. How are you? How you doing? I'm good, you?
0:02:49 > 0:02:52'I wanted to ask her how the course worked.'
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Well, the five-day intensive is very hard, cos, you know,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56you've got to be ready to change.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59You get paired with a coach and you have to work with them and
0:02:59 > 0:03:02try and get an understanding of how you feel about yourself.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Who was your coach, and what did they do for you?
0:03:05 > 0:03:08My coach was called Dion, and I think she was, like,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11the first proper black woman that I properly met,
0:03:11 > 0:03:12and I think that was quite encouraging,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15because now I feel happy to be black. So, that's good.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18That's important, to like yourself. It is, very. Of course.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20And then what changed in your life outside of the course,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22once it was completed.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Erm, I moved into foster care, so I left my family home,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and that helped me kind of focus.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29My coach was quite on my case, getting me to finish my GCSEs.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34And I've got a lovely family now, and my bond with my mum is really
0:03:34 > 0:03:36growing, so I think that's quite a big thing for me.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Paige's turnaround shows how much Youth At Risk can do.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43The young people on the charity's programmes increase their
0:03:43 > 0:03:48ambitions, refocus on their education, or start a job.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52At the end of the course, they sum up how they see themselves now.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I am focused, responsible, and committed.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Standing up for who I am, and who I'm yet to be.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01The next stage for the new graduates is six months of work with
0:04:01 > 0:04:05their life coaches, who'll help them stay on track.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08They're volunteers and come from all walks of life.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12It's a fantastic opportunity for somebody locally, within
0:04:12 > 0:04:15my community, who I can help transform their lives.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19I was very shy before I started, but now I'm more confident,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and...it feels great.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26These amazing, brave teenagers turn to Youth At Risk when they are
0:04:26 > 0:04:28out of other options.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32And the charity challenges them to stop blaming other people for
0:04:32 > 0:04:36their problems, and just to take responsibility into their own hands.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38And this isn't always easy,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42but they really believe that the tough love approach is the
0:04:42 > 0:04:44way to handle things, because, at the end of the day,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47the only person that you can change is yourself.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Youth At Risk has already helped nearly 20,000 young people
0:04:57 > 0:05:01across the UK since they started 24 years ago.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Dave was one of their early recruits,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08back in the 1990s in South London.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13He is now 37 and lives in Cornwall with his partner and baby daughter.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18But the young Dave had some pretty big demons to fight.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I'd been bullied early on in my life
0:05:23 > 0:05:28and I'd actually become what I hated most...which was a bully.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31My family had a reputation, where I come from,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35and, you know, I felt like I had to live up to it.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Also, my mum at that time she was quite ill.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45Mental health problems and suicide attempts.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49So, growing up, that was quite difficult to deal with.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Dave had a history of offending,
0:05:53 > 0:05:58but then saw a poster for a Youth At Risk course in the police station.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I began, for the first time, speaking about my mum.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05There was a lot of tears. And a lot of anger, as well.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It's about realising that I shouldn't blame myself.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15I've had bad things happen, but it's up to me how I deal with the future.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Dave is now a Youth At Risk ambassador,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24giving talks and helping out on their courses across the country.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Good girl. Stay still.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29'My life without Youth At Risk I think would have been
0:06:29 > 0:06:32'a lifetime of prison or I'd have probably been dead.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:38So, erm, yeah, Youth At Risk really did save my life.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Youth At Risk does incredible work with young people who are
0:06:49 > 0:06:51living right on the edge.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Teenagers who need a real positive way to deal with some really
0:06:54 > 0:06:56difficult situations.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59But none of this is cheap, and they need your help.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Especially as they have some great stuff coming up.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05ALL: Cheese!
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Youth At Risk have just run a really successful pilot project here
0:07:11 > 0:07:13in Hackney, in London.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17You see so much bad news, so much negativity.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19These young people have bucked that trend.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Each one of the 13 young people on the course
0:07:22 > 0:07:24has been inspired to change.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Because of you lot, I have stepped to a different way in life,
0:07:28 > 0:07:29a different path.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32And I thank you for that. APPLAUSE
0:07:32 > 0:07:35With success like this, Youth At Risk can now roll out their
0:07:35 > 0:07:38programme of courses here, too.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Their aim is to help another 300 kids like Paige and Dave.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47But it's going to take some serious funding.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50You can help more young people have a crack at being happy, safe,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54and strong enough to deal with the problems that life throws at them.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56A ?10 donation will cover the costs of
0:07:56 > 0:08:00a young person getting to and from a Youth At Risk course,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and the charity don't want people to miss out on this opportunity
0:08:03 > 0:08:06simply because they can't afford to get there.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10A ?20 donation will cover the costs of a volunteer life coach,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and help somebody get closer to achieving their goals.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17So, make a big difference to a young person's future
0:08:17 > 0:08:20by donating - right now.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22To give by phone, call...
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Texts costs ?10 plus your standard network message charge,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and the whole ?10 goes to Youth At Risk.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41For full terms and conditions, or to make a donation online,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43visit the Lifeline website at...
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52please make your cheque payable to Youth At Risk and send it to
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal, writing "Youth At Risk" on the
0:08:56 > 0:08:57back of the envelope.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Thank you.