Together Equal is celebrating being awarded almost £10,000 in National Lottery funding to support its work in supporting primary school children. The group, based in Claremont Road in Surbiton, will use the funds to run a school outreach programme to help children build self-confidence, self-esteem and understand healthy relationships.

Together Equal launched in January this year and is staffed by 4 volunteers. It was founded by Sarah Aird-Mash and Adam Matich with a mission to eradicate domestic abuse. The programme evolved as they realised the key to eradicating it forever is to focus on a solution at a grassroots level.

The project will enable primary school children to better deal with the world of today and have all the knowledge they need to grow up healthy, happy and safe. It will help children learn how to look after themselves, physically and mentally. It highlights the importance of friendship, diversity and helps build self-esteem and self-confidence for the future.

The group will be running sessions in local primary schools across Surbiton to help children develop critical thinking and discussion skills in a conversational environment with their peers. While enjoyable, the children will be gaining greater confidence and self-belief setting them up for a future as a confident and inclusive adult. 

The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money to good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK. These sessions will be offered to schools across Kingston and Surbiton meaning that primary school children across the area will be able to benefit from this programme.

At the same time, the group will introduce a mentoring scheme for secondary school kids. These will see them matched with young adults from various backgrounds who will provide peer-to-peer support in a social and supportive framework. 

Sarah Aird-Mash, a co-founder of Together Equal, says: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to press on with our plans to broaden the range of opportunities available to local children and their parents. This is important because it helps both the children and the parents to connect and change the world one conversation at a time .”

Tanya Mitchell, School outreach lead at Together Equal, says ‘The ability to reach primary school children and their families with the Together Equal ethos means that the next generation is equipped with the confidence to challenge the social inequalities we see today. By starting the conversation around these issues in schools, it allows for a whole school and community to promote an understanding of how our children shape the future. We are hoping that by helping children find their voice and understand how their core beliefs have shaped them so far, we can create a greater understanding of what it means to be a British citizen.’