Eighteen And Under

Lots of Scottish pupils have now returned back to school after the summer break.
For some people this is a great thing as it means they can get back to playing with friends, they can have a free school meal or if things aren’t feeling great at home then it may be a space they value a lot and somewhere they feel safe.
For others going back to school may bring feelings of dread, something like bullying from peers or staff within the school may make going back a very traumatic time for a young person and they may feel there is little options to change things.

If any of this feels familiar for yourself or a young person that you know, get in touch with 18u to talk to someone in confidence.

Hey everyone,
18u has received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to record and preserve the history of the child sexual abuse (in**st) survivor’s movement in Scotland from the 1970s onwards.

Were you involved in the movement during this time?

Or do you know anyone who was involved?

If so, we would love to hear from you, you can get in touch by emailing Shaun on [email protected] or messaging the page if a different way of communicating is preferable 😊

Please share this post so we can reach as many people as possible.

At our 30th anniversary event we announced our new manifesto for 2024.
The manifesto is a calling of other agencies to provide confidential services for young abuse survivors as part of real child protection. Encouraging agencies to look at the research about child sexual abuse and the many reasons why young survivors need confidential services so that they are able to open up about abuse and explore options rather than remaining silent until adulthood. Confidential services are essential to empower young survivors and end abuse

We've launched a new book!
This book is based on the experiences of Eighteen And Under which has, for the past 30 years, been providing confidential support to young survivors of sexual abuse. The book is to inform and educate people about abuse including sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation of young people, and the effects of abuse. It also discusses how to help young abuse survivors recover and how to prevent abuse. The book provides important information about current academic research which supports Eighteen And Under's model of working with young people and the need for more confidential services for young people.
You can buy your own copy on Amazon by following the link below and please share away so we can reach as many people as possible that works with young survivors☺️

Child Sexual Abuse: Helping young survivors and preventing abuse This book is the result of over 30 years experience of providing a highly confidential service for young abuse survivors through the Scottish charity Eighteen And Under. It is designed to inform and educate people about the sexual abuse and exploitation of young people, how to support and help yo...

We have had a lovely time celebrating our 30th anniversary, celebrating our favourite memories over the years, eating cake and we also had animals for the children to meet (by Eden's Garden)!
Thank you to everyone who could attend and of course to all of our volunteers and workers that made the event happen

Eighteen and Under are delighted to launch our new project, 'The Lunch Club'.

'The Lunch Club' aims to support people to develop cooking skills and learn how to cook easy to follow recipes in a safe and supportive environment. The group will support around four to six people (aged 16+) and will go on for four sessions.

The first session will take place on Saturday 8th June 11am-1pm in Eighteen and Under's Office (1 Victoria Road, Dundee, DD1 1EL) and will be open to anyone (aged 16+) on a first come, first served basis. So whether this is your first time cooking or you're looking to refresh some of your skills our staff and volunteers will be on hand to guide you through cooking healthy and affordable meals.

Anyone interested in joining 'The Lunch Club' can send us a wee message. This can be done via PM's or to Marcus by email ([email protected]).

Eighteen and under has now had it's 30th anniversary, last week on the 23rd of April 🥳 .
Unfortunately due to poor time keeping (by myself) this social media post about it is only now being posted 🙈.

We look forward to celebrating the anniversary next month in our centre but for now here are some words from our founder, Laurie!

30 years ago today, 18u first started life. It was called the Young Women's Project back then and it only had one part time worker, a corner of a desk in the r**e crisis office, a phone and a handful of volunteers. Our moto back then was that if we only ever helped one young person then it would all be worth it. It has been hard work but it has been worth it. In 2001 we changed our name and became known as Eighteen And Under.

Since 1994, we have helped many thousands of young people in many different ways. We have provided face to face support, activity groups, violence is preventable sessions, shadow management groups and lunch clubs. We have accompanied young people to different agencies, provided advocacy and set up this online Forum. We have worked in many nurseries, schools and communities teaching young children and teenagers about personal safety and abuse prevention. Our abuse prevention programmes have been translated into many languages and tried out in many different countries around the world. Soon our abuse prevention programme will be going into Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan thanks to the volunteers who work away behind the scenes translating and culturally adapting resources, holding meetings and developing partnerships.

Finding support that is right for you can be a maze with waiting lists, different confidentiality policies and criteria to access it.
At Eighteen and Under we try to be as transparent as possible with young people who are looking for support by sharing our confidentiality policies on our website so they know where they stand.

We provide support to young people who have/are experiencing any form of abuse and it’s up to them how much or little they then share.

If you’re a young person who is wanting some support from 18u then you can get in touch with us via our website contact us page www.18u.org.uk , by messaging our instagram or page, or by text/WhatsApp on the number 07707531976

One of our volunteers, Kathleen, is facing a sky dive to raise money for Simba after having lost her own baby late 2018 at 14 weeks. The link below has more information but she appreciates any support you can give, even if that is just sharing this link.
All the best for the dive Kat!

Simba fundraiser in Memory of Baby Reid, organized by Kathleen Reid Do you want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money in aid of Simps… Kathleen Reid needs your support for Simba fundraiser in Memory of Baby Reid

We are looking for young people aged between 11 and 21 to join our brand-new Shadow Management Group!
Group members will have the opportunity to improve their communication, writing and teamwork skills and gain valuable experience that can be used in university applications, CVs and other volunteer roles, all whilst helping our wee charity get it right for the young people we support.
You don’t need to have any previous experience, and everyone is welcome. There is no application form and young people aged between 11 and 21 that are interested in being a part should get in touch by sending an email to Marcus ([email protected]) and say that you’d like to be considered as a member of shadow management at 18U 🥳

January can be a really difficult time for lots of different reasons. Money will likely be even lower than usual for people living in poverty, the short cold days can be really difficult for someone struggling with their mood and all the dieting adverts and talk can be very tricky for someone trying to recover from an eating disorder. This could just be a few reasons this month why people around you are struggling more than usual and why it’s important to look out for others even if they appear to be ok at a first glance. We’d love to hear of things you do to make January brighter for yourself or others ☀️.

What an inspiring young man! Tony is working towards the prevention of child abuse and has raised so many funds for charity.
Congratulations are definitely due for his British Empire Medal, very well deserved! 🤩

New Years Honours 2024: Tony Hudgell, 9, youngest to receive medal Tony Hudgell lost both his legs because of injuries inflicted by his birth parents, who were jailed.

Whilst for a lot of people Christmas is a time of love, gift giving and fun festive times spent with family for young people who are experiencing or have previously experienced abuse it can be the most difficult time of the year.
There is a lot of pressure to feel happy and also a lot less support around, both of which can make things feel even more difficult.
Young people can directly contact 18u over the festive period if they’d like to talk about what’s going on for them, we can be contacted by private message (Facebook or instagram) by our WhatsApp (07707531976) or on our websites contact us page (18u.org.uk)

We have white poppies available for sale again at our office in the Dundee city centre. They are £1 each, please send us over a PM if you’d like to come by so we can arrange a time for when someone is in.
Please feel free to share our post 😊

Today, the 2nd of October is the international day of non-violence. It is observed today as it is Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

The principle of non-violence- also known as non-violent resistance- rejects the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change.

In 2018 a campaign was launched on this day called and so far nearly 1.5 million people have shared acts of kindness. Today would be a great day to be mindful of others and spread your own kindness, if you do, you could share what you have done on social media with this hashtag (and tag us!) to help encourage others to be kind and mindful of others.

The photos with this post has been taken by two of our volunteers whilst on holiday in France, this sculpture called the Knotted Gun was designed by Swedish artist Carl Fredrick Reutersward and is on display outside the United Nations building in New York, this is a replica outside the Caen memorial museum.

We’re still hard at work clearing out all of our old/unused resources that have accumulated over the years. It’s been a big job as all staples and laminated covers have had to be removed in order to recycle them and then everything has had to be taken to the recycling centre which involved lots of trips down and up the stairs (thanks Shaun for doing so much of this over the past couple of months!) at our centre. Anyone who has visited us will know just how exhausting they are!
We would still appreciate any extra hands to help with this work so if you’re an old or existing volunteer or want to come join us for the first time get in touch via PM’s (Facebook or instagram) to sort a time to pop in, drinks and snacks provided 🥳.

The 12th of August is international youth day. Our youth is the future and 18U strives to let children know how important they are and that they should feel respected and valued and be free from harm. Here are some photos of some of the youth within our organisation over the years 🤩 maybe you will recognise some of the wee faces?

Happy belated Cat Day! (8th of August)

Friendships involve a balance of giving and taking, supporting and being comforted and being understanding that at times people are less present. At 18U we would be lost without our friends, sometimes we see lots of them and other times they are more distant but they are still so important. Today is International Day of Friendship and we hope that those that are feeling lonely know that they can have a friend in 18U. If you are in need of some support or want to volunteer send us a message, an email, a wee text (07707531976) or contact us via our website.

July the 7th is World Chocolate day but it came a wee bit early today at our monthly volunteer meet up/support training. Our little volunteers and big all enjoyed getting a bar of chocolate to celebrate whilst sorting through the old resources and chatting support. We’re a small but amazing team 💪🤩

June the 30th is Social Media Day. We are recognising today, although social media definitely has a lot of negative sides and impacts on people, we are grateful as an organisation to the fact that it gives us the capabilities to reach people further than we would have been able to before. Social media means that more people can learn about our service and access our amazing support. It has also helped us to reach some great volunteers who have made a real difference to our work.
What are your feelings on social media?

Following on from our post last night, our top volunteer on project clear out, Sandra, wanted to say some words-
“Hey, Volunteers it’s me again.
Just to give you an update. We had 4 volunteers pop in for a while last week to help with the resources and that was fantastic, but I know there are more of you out there. Come down to the office and help get rid of some of the old resources. Whether its helping to take some of the work done down to the bin or just coming in and helping take the staples out.
I know the weather is great right now but please come and lend a hand to your favourite charity. The quicker we get this done the better. I don’t ask for help most of the time, but this time I really need you. Leave a message and let us know if you can come in. Even an hour, or more, it all helps. You don’t even need to get out of your car, we can fill it up with bags for you to move for us which would only take 30 minutes out of your day. We would be very grateful, thanks Sandra (a volunteer)”

Hey all, we are still looking for some helping hands to clear out our old resources. If any of you are free some point this week or next to spend some time helping us out we would be very grateful. Just send us a message if you’re planning to come in and want more info 😊

Today, the 12th of June 2023 is World Day Against Child Labour. The United Nations marks days like today to raise awareness and education on world wide problems such as these. We are saddened by some of the statists they have shared and hope one day all children can be free to be able to play and learn without having to work.
Here are some of the statistics they have share-
Approx 160 million children world wide are involved in child labour, that is 1 in 10 children.
Only 26.4% of children worldwide receive social protection cash benefits.
But here’s a positive statistic from them-
From 2000 to 2020, child labour decreased by 85.5 million, dropping from 16% to 9.6%

Calling out to all of our volunteers old and new that could help us with a job in our centre.
We are currently clearing out all of our old resources (which anyone who has visited our centre before will know is a lot!) and we need all the help we can get. We need to remove all the staples and put them into piles where they can be taken downstairs to the large bin we have hired. Since we are a small team any help people can give will be much appreciated and anyone helping over lunch time will be provided with the option of something to eat. We will also make sure there are enough snacks and cups of tea to help see you through your time in the centre.
Our volunteer Sandra is driving this mission and will be in the office during the two weeks we have to complete this task starting Monday the 12th of June (she will be in from 10am).

Thank you,
The 18U team

Last but not least on our meet our volunteers posts for Volunteers Week 2023 is…. Zanthe! She has volunteered for us for such a long time now and is such a motivated and kind part of our team. She is also a support volunteer and does an amazing job both online and in our charities centre in Dundee. Here’s a few words from her-
“Hi I’m Zanthe, I’ve been part of 18U for around 4 and a bit years.
I got involved with 18U after studying Psychology and working in similar fields.
18u is such a nurturing and caring charity, which is why I was so drawn to it. The passion and commitment from all the team is out of this world.
Feeling alone or down with no one to talk to is an awful feeling, I like to think I can help fill that gap by being someone who you can let go of all your worries to without judgement. Which is exactly what 18U is about.”

Meet our volunteers… Sandra! She has been a volunteer at our organisation an impressive amount of years and has contributed a lot of her free time during those. We appreciate all she has done and continues to do! Here’s some words from her-
“Hello, I’m Sandra and I have been a volunteer for over 20 years now. I say 20 years because I’ve actually forgotten.
I used to work full time doing shifts and would pop into the office to help with fundraising, leaflet dropping, mailing lists, cooking, making tea and making sure there is pens and paper near every phone, whenever I could.
I actually can’t remember how much I have raised for the service but over the 20 years it’s been a lot of money which I have seen out to good use in helping young people through some of the most difficult times in their lives.
I feel that it is very important to volunteer for this type of charity, because a lot of people want to believe that abuse doesn’t exist nowadays, but it does and rather than sit back and do nothing, I can help by raising money to help those youngsters in need. Other volunteers spend their time supporting those youngsters. We all have skills and putting them together we make a brilliant team.”

Meet our volunteers: Eva!
Eva has been a volunteer for a few years now, she joined us during the covid-19 pandemic as an online volunteer and has stuck it out throughout that difficult time and continued out the other side. Thank you to Eva for joining us and being a great volunteer. Here’s some words from Eva on volunteering-
“It’s really fun and fulfilling being a volunteer with Eighteen and Under. I’ve learnt a lot about empathy and respect being part of a community that provides a safe space for young people to share their feelings and needs. It’s a privilege working with the young people who use this service.”

Meet our volunteers: Kat!
Kat has been volunteering for a couple of years now and is a valued part of our team. Here are some word from her about her experience at Eighteen and Under.
“I have been with 18u for two and a half years (January 2021) as a volunteer. Every member of staff is amazing and very supportive if
you aren’t sure of anything. I have learnt a lot from what I thought support was, different genders, LGBTQ, different disabilities and I have now supported a young person as well, this really opened my eyes to different types of abuse and what you can do for that person. I have realised all you can do for them is be there as a human and realise it’s 100% about them and what they want about not what I think should happen. I am also a survivor of abuse, I am 32 now and when I came to 18u when I was 13. Laurie was my worker and now I hope to open a new charity with her. It’s mad to think I was that young person and now I support them. 18u is an amazing charity!”