Impact Report 2024
The impact report highlights all the hard work that has gone into bringing our workshops to fruition. In 2024, we educated over 1900, young individuals, contributing to a total of over 5000 young people taught over six years in London. Our dedicated NHS medical volunteers conducted workshops, instilling life-saving skills and empowering youth. Feedback highlights the increasing demand for our services, with positive outcomes evident in mental health, safety, and community empowerment. I can only express immense gratitude to our funders for their continued support. Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate further impactful achievements.
Who We Are
YourStance is a team of experienced doctors and nurses teaching young people vulnerable to violence on how to respond to an emergency.
We teach vulnerable young people aged 11 – 25 how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and haemorrhage control to enable them to act as ‘zero responders’ before a first responder arrives.
Since we established ourselves as a community interest company in 2019, the project has taught over 5,000 young people and run nearly 600 workshops across London. The vast majority of those taught felt that what they’d learned had been directly and immediately helpful to them.
We also co-deliver workshops with other organisations, such as the St Giles Trust, Mind of the Student, and the London Ambulance Service.
We are evidence based, peer reviewed and trauma informed. We use feedback forms and testimonials to gather data and track our impact on communities.
We are currently supported by grants for project-based work, including from the National Lottery Fund, Tower Hamlets Fund, Camden Giving, Barts Charity, and from local councils.
Our Story
Our founder and ‘RCN Nurse of the year’ 2020, Ana Waddington, launched the organisation in 2019 alarmed by the high number of young people arriving in London hospital emergency departments with stab wounds, some of them fatal.
Why is it important?
Interpersonal violence involving knives is a major public health problem. Research released 2022 illustrated the influence of age on injury patterns resulting from knife violence, and supported the expansion of outreach initiatives promoting bystander-delivered haemorrhage control of extremity wounds. It highlighted how timely treatment and action can improve health and life outcomes for young victims of serious youth violence. The National mortality database reports clinicians now have a duty to train young people on how to save lives.Â
Please get in touch if you would like to support the project:
Our Goals
01.
Reduce
Reduce morbidity and mortality caused by serious youth violence in London by teaching more zero responders.
02.
Challenge
Challenge stigma and prejudice among medical professionals.
03.
Impact
Tackle class and racial inequalities by reaching young people most harmed by such inequalities and have a positive impact on those we reach.
What We Offer
01.
Expertise
Our volunteers are all highly trained medical experts in emergency treatment and trauma, with broad professional exposure to issues surrounding serious violence.
02.
Save Lives
Our workshops are unique and have evidence of saving lives by reducing amount of young peoples lives lost by violence in London by teaching more Zero Responders.
03.
Honest conversations
Our workshops are lead by expert medical professionals who have lived experience of treating young people that have been injured.Â
This means they can have honest conversations and empower young people to save livesÂ
04.
Tackle class and racial inequalities by reaching young people who are most vulnerable
We go where there is the most need and ensure that our workshops are tailored to suit young people in all settings.Â