On Sunday 28th June, Include Youth took on an abseil down the Europa Hotel as part of its new Challenge 4 Change fundraising initiative. Staff from Include Youth, Danske Bank, and Evolv-IT took part, raising an impressive £1,090 to support the young people we work with. The campaign encourages staff, partners, and supporters to step outside their comfort zones while raising awareness of mental health. The initiative was inspired by the organisation’s involvement in the HeadsUP (OUR Generation) programme, which focuses on supporting youth mental health and wellbeing.
HeadsUP (OUR Generation) is a project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.
. Challenge 4 Change was created by Katieann Doran, a Youth Worker on the HeadsUP (OUR Generation) programme, who wanted to complement the programme’s six-week delivery by creating a series of physical challenges that put its core themes into practice. Through each challenge, participants experience first-hand what it means to overcome fear, build resilience, and step outside their comfort zones, key messages at the heart of the HeadsUP programme, which explores topics including resilience, identity, stress awareness, and wellbeing.
The abseil marked the six-month milestone of the Challenge 4 Change initiative. Since the beginning of 2026, a new challenge has taken place each month, encouraging staff, partners, and young people to face something that pushes them beyond their comfort zones. The challenges are designed to reflect how difficult it can feel for young people to open up about their mental health while demonstrating that taking small, supported steps can help build resilience and confidence. From sea dips to 10K runs, each challenge has grown in participation, with the Europa Hotel abseil proving to be the biggest challenge yet.
“I wanted to show that just like in our mental health battles, we can feel gripped by fear and still find the self-belief to move forward. In that moment, the stress became my strength, and the sense of accomplishment afterward was indescribable. This is why I started Challenge 4 Change to prove that when we push through what terrifies us, we can break stigmas and transform our resilience into a superpower.”
Challenge 4 Change will continue throughout the remainder of the year, with new monthly challenges planned as more staff, partners, and supporters get involved. The initiative aims to continue raising awareness of mental health while encouraging people to take on personal challenges that inspire conversations, reduce stigma, and demonstrate that positive change often begins by taking the first step.
