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About us
Who we are
The Baobab Centre is a non-residential therapeutic community that supports young asylum seekers and refugees who have experienced human rights abuses and have sought asylum in the UK as unaccompanied minors. Our two focus areas are rehabilitation and justice.
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The young people referred to us have all experienced extreme human rights abuses in their developmental years such as violence, torture, domestic and sexual abuse, forced conscription, trafficking, and modern slavery. To aid healing from trauma and enable stability and independence in the young people’s lives, Baobab adopts a specialised and holistic approach to rehabilitation, combining individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, casework support and psychotherapeutic activities (therapeutic retreats, group outings, community meetings, art therapy and music). All our support is delivered centrally from our center in Islington, as a way of creating a safe, rooted and homely environment for the young people.
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Each young person is assigned a psychotherapist for mental health support and a caseworker to support them with practical issues such as housing, healthcare, financial security and education. Both of whom remain with the young person throughout their journey at Baobab.
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We have 3 full-time staff, 11 part-time, and 12 volunteers. Our beneficiaries are currently 75 young refugees and asylum seekers from 29 different countries including Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, China and Bangladesh who mostly reside in the Inner and Outer London areas. We also have a further 79 young people in our wider community, who no longer attend Baobab on a regular basis but occasionally attend our various events and activities and who may return for a shorter or longer period of psychotherapy and support if they have difficulties or crises in their lives.
Our culture and values
Baobab provides a transitional space between the young person’s home country and finding a place in the community of exile where they feel free to be themselves and contribute to community life. The support offered to each young person is non-time limited.
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Working together between members of our multi-disciplinary team is essential and underpins our organization. The communal structure of the organisation allows young people, whose trust in others has been broken, to build meaningful and involved relationships with staff and other young people.
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Our model is designed to encourage and promote involvement, stability, improved self-awareness and confidence necessary for the young people to move forward in their independent lives in the community of exile.
