The Star Project is Abianda's flagship one-to-one service for young women and girls aged 13-25.  We take young women through a tailored programme of activities, supporting skills development and critical thinking. We work with young women and girls over a period of approximately 6 months, or up to 24 sessions.

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Who is the Star Project for?

• Young women and girls*

• Aged 13-25 years old 

• Based in the London Borough of Islington

• At risk of or affected by criminal exploitation and violence 

• To refer into this service, please follow this link

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What can young women and girls expect? 

A dedicated Abianda practitioner who will meet with them weekly (or more if needed). 

 

Rooted in Abianda's Pillars of Practice, The Star Project supports young women towards increased critical thinking, independence and agency. We aim for young women and girls to feel knowledgeable and skilled to:

• navigate systems, spaces and relationships safely and healthily 

• able to advocate for her rights and needs and, as much as possible, get what she needs from them

• understand what might increase safety for her

 

Our work with young women starts from an understanding of her desired outcomes and priorities. We explore in detail what she hopes to be different as a result of working with us, based on a clear understanding of what The Star Project is (and isn't). It seeks, and trusts, her ‘version of events’, and places as central her expertise and empirical knowledge of her own life in exploring the issues that the programme addresses.
 

Our programme explores complex issues through participatory and discussion-based exercises. Our solution focused brief therapy tools and techniques mean we create an emotionally and psychologically safe space, allowing us to explore complex concepts including: criminal exploitation; violence and sexual violence; power and control; experience for girls in the context of ‘gangs’, for example. 

 

Outcomes we work towards:

• Young women increase their understanding of how girls and young women are affected by criminal exploitation and violence

• Young women increase their understanding of healthy relationships

• Young women and girls have more agency in making the changes they want to see in their lives

• Young women and girls affected by criminal exploitation are more able to get what they need from systems and services

• More young women and girls move closer towards their best hopes

 

Consent

The Star Project is entirely consent based, so young women and girls must agree to work with us, on the basis of the information sharing and confidentiality terms that we explain at the outset. Referring a young woman into the Star Project is conditional on the referring professional/agency/network remaining in place during the young woman’s engagement in our service. Our contribution is in providing a gender specific, sacred and protected space away from the volatility and unique harm she experiences, where she can do the critical thinking needed and develop knowledge and skills so she can go back into the systems she navigates with a greater sense of her needs, and how to have them met. For more information on consent, please click here.

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What next?

Our one to one work with young women can be just the beginning of their journey with Abianda. They will have the opportunity to stay with the organisation by moving into a range of other activities and opportunities. You can read more about these projects here. 

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Possible indicators of risk, or vulnerability that young women and girls affected by, or at risk of, criminal exploitation and violence might experience

This is a diagram, using our ecological model, that outlines possible indicators of risk, or vulnerability that young women and girls affected by, or at risk of, criminal exploitation and violence might experience.  The information on this diagram was contributed to by young women and Abianda practitioners and team members.

 

We ask you to use this diagram with care. This is to support your identification of young women and girls to ensure they can access the services they need. We remind you that every young woman and girls’ experience is individual and her expertise in her own life should be prioritised. The presence of one or two of these indicators does not mean with certainty that criminal exploitation is a part of her experience but opens up a space for you to be curious and explore further with her, prior to making a referral.