At Birch & Bees CIC, we are dedicated in supporting individuals in an accessible, affordable way.

The organisation currently has two areas of main focus 

• to provide resources/mentorship for young people aged 11-18 who are not in school, and to support/provide mentorship their grown ups. 
•  
• to provide mentorship to adults who are struggling and need direction and support.

Why Birch & Bees?

The Birch signifies new starts and opportunities.  The Bee is very busy and sociable.  The combination signifies new opportunities for busy bees!

I am passionate about supporting young people, and as well as having lived in experience, I am also an experienced youth support worker and young persons mentor focusing on young people who struggle to attend/struggle in school.

In addition, I have a life long passion for supporting adults who need direction.  We are often stuck in circumstances where we don't know where to go or how to be brave and start making a change.  I want everyone to be the person they truly want to be and work with individuals of all ages to help them achieve this.

I  have a background in Human Resources (HR) and Learning and Development and am also qualified in mindfulness, meditation, life coaching and mentoring.  These all enable me to add different skills to my tool kit to help those who I work with. 

In addition, I have extensive professional and personal experience of working with neurodivergent individuals, currently educated to level 4 in Autism awareness and ADHD coaching and I really believe in support and accessibility for all.  

My own daughter is Electively Home Educated and I remember clearly how overwhelmed I felt when I first de-registered her.  Wanting to ensure your child gets the best education, whilst sifting through the immense amount of information out there.  Worrying about affording activities and tutors when the reality is that you really can do it on a budget.

I also remember the challenges of navigating the school systems when your child is on the school roll, but not able to attend. The pressure, the threats of fine, the blame, all whilst trying to get what your child needs and it is extremely tough. 

I strongly believe that all children deserve access to a quality education whether this is at Home or at School.  I am not pro or against either.  For me, it is all about the needs of the young person and what may suit one family, will not suit another.

Sadly there are a number of young people who are not in school currently, but are on the school roll and it is not their fault.  Getting your young person  back in education can be unnecessarily complicated and stressful with the emphasis often put on trying to change the needs of the young person, rather than putting adjustments in place to enable the young person to attend.  If you need help in navigating this process, then I can support you through this.

As parents or carers of young people who are not in school, it can be a very difficult time.  Whether you are struggling with school, the practicalities of Home Educating or worried about your child and just need someone to talk to, we are here to help.

I founded Birch & Bees to help local people who struggle with loneliness and isolation, particuarly in the areas of Home Education, school attendance problems and for adults who struggle to believe in themselves.

Since starting out as a not for profit group, it has developed into a growing organisation with a small team of volunteers and young ambassadors.  The leadership team is now myself working alongside two very passionate and talented  directors Paul and Becky, all of us work in a voluntary capacity as directors and give up our time to help support the local community.  We also work in partnership and collaboration with other local organisations and are proud to be part of the award winning Fenland Youth Network.

All individuals representing and working at Birch & Bees have up to date safeguarding training, hold Enhanced DBS clearance, constant CPD and we are insured for your peace of mind.

I hope you find the website useful, but if you do need anything further please let me know by contacting us at rebecca@birchandbeescic.co.uk

Rebecca

Rebecca Howley-Rivers Founder, Director