Celtic FC Foundation and the Urban Fox Programme are delighted to announce details of a new partnership that will provide young people with mental health and wellbeing support as part of the Football For Good Fund initiative. 

Young people based in the East End of Glasgow will receive mentoring, take part in small focus groups, one-to-one sessions and fun activities such as family bike rides thanks to the partnership.

The Urban Fox Programme is a voluntary managed project, providing young people within the East End of Glasgow with a wide range of educational and diversionary activities. These include supervised sports and leisure programmes, health and social education guidance programmes, IT training, as well as many other structured learning programmes.

The coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching implications on the mental health and wellbeing of people all over the country. Levels of loneliness, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, self-harm and suicidal thoughts are all expected to rise throughout this difficult period.

Debbie McCallum of the Urban Fox Programme said: “We’ve been based in the East End of Glasgow for 20 years and we’ve offered a range of youth programmes for young people aged 12-17 throughout that period. 

“When the pandemic hit, the impact was immense. We had to get computers delivered to schoolchildren, make sure they were connected to Wi-Fi and that we were confident their households were fit for purpose. 

“Going into the second lockdown, mental health issues hit us like a tsunami and that’s why we started talking to partners like the Foundation to get some funding to do some intense support with our young people. 

“We have to thank Celtic FC Foundation for being forward thinking and instrumental within our community, not just for now, but for all the years before, and hopefully all the years going forward!”

Tony Hamilton, Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, said: “While our communities are still trying to contend with the economic impact of COVID, there is also a growing issue around mental health.

“We are delighted that we can play a part in addressing what will be a long-term issue for young people in our communities through Urban Fox.”

For further details on the Football for Good Fund or any other Celtic FC Foundation activities, please email [email protected] and we will respond to you as soon as we possibly can.