About the Programme

 

Q: What is In Their Hands?

A: It’s a 12-week personal development programme for young people aged 11–17, combining professional youth coaching with real-world and outdoor experiences. It helps young people build confidence, resilience, self-awareness, and decision-making skills during periods of challenge or transition.

 

Q: How is this different from therapy or tutoring?

A: This is not therapy, tutoring, or crisis intervention. It’s about helping young people reflect, take ownership, and grow through guided coaching and experiential learning.

 

Q: Who delivers the programme?

A: Our coaches are highly experienced, carefully selected youth coaching professionals, trained to support young people in a safe, structured, and purposeful way.

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Q: Can I save and come back to the application form? 

A: No, but the application form has been designed to be relatively easy to fill in. You'll likely need about 10 minutes to complete it. The full set of questions is available here. 

 

​Q: What does a typical week look like?

A: Over 12 weeks, young people have roughly one meaningful session every two weeks: four one-on-one coaching sessions and two full-day shared experiences, plus light reflection supported by their coach.

 

Q: What are the key components of the programme?

A: Coaching is focused on helping young people think clearly, make decisions, and reflect on challenges. The workplace experience is a visit to an inspiring workplace to build confidence, perspective, and real-world skills. The into the wild day is an outdoor challenges which can include activities like climbing, canoeing, or archery to practise resilience and adaptability.

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Q: Where does the programme take place? Where do I have to be based? 

A: The programme is open to anyone living in the UK. The coaching takes place online and can be accessed from anywhere. The two experience days are run out of one of our three regional hubs - London, Birmingham and Leeds so your child needs to be able to get to one of these locations for the two trip/experience days. 

 

Q: How much does it cost?

A: The 2026 pilot costs £999, covering coaching sessions, two in-person experiences, supervision, safeguarding, programme oversight, and the final reflection report. Travel to experiences is not included.

 

Q: Does it matter if my child is home schooled? 

No, this programme could be excellent for those being homeschooled as it provides a structured space to work through challenges and opportunities. The trip days also provide great social interaction opportunities with the rest of the cohort. 

 

Q: When do the coaching sessions take place? 

The coaching sessions take place online and live, and they are arranged to suit families' schedules. In some cases people may prefer weekend or evening coaching and that is absolutely fine. Each coaching session needs to take place within a defined two week window but there is lots of flexibility as to when these take place 

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Q: When do the trip days take place? 

At this point the precise trip days haven’t yet been confirmed but we know that the first trip will take place during the Easter Holidays between the 3rd and 17th of April and the second during the May half term between the 25th and the 30th of May. There will be two trip days across each hub - London, Leeds and Birmingham

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Q: How do I confirm my place? 

Once you’ve made an application for your child to participate, you will hear from us within a couple of days. If you are offered a place then we will share the agreement and invoice with you and on receipt of payment and agreement, your place is confirmed. 

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Q: Can talk to someone before applying?

Yes! Email us at intheirhands@yesfutures.org and we will give you a call and talk through any questions you may have

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Q: If the programme is new, is it likely to be untested?

A: Not at all. The coaching approach we use is tried and proven and we have used it for 12 years. What’s new is bringing it directly into the family setting. Calling this a pilot just means we’re starting with a small, carefully structured group so we can deliver it well and learn how to make it even better for families.

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Q: What are the main aims of the programme? Will it improve my child’s school performance?

The programme is designed with one outcome in mind: by the end, young people have a stronger sense of themselves. They're more confident handling challenges and change, and able to make decisions without needing certainty or comfort. Coaching and experiences focus on resilience, self-awareness, confidence and communication.

 

How these show up is shaped by each young person—whether that's responding to pressure, recovering from setbacks, communicating clearly, or making decisions without all the answers. By the end, young people are better equipped to handle challenges and move forward with confidence and perspective. This isn't about fixing problems or pushing harder. It's about creating space for young people to step forward, supported by an experienced coach. The focus is on ownership, not outcomes or pressure.