Escape Routes: Empowering Young Lives, One Step at a Time

Escape Routes:

At Escape Routes, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and realise their full potential. Our mission is to provide children with a safe, nurturing space where they can heal, grow, and envision a brighter future.

The Project We are Seeking Funding for:

We want to offer a 5-day retreat designed to give ten children transformative, new-life experiences; empowering them to break through the limitations of their past. This project will offer a child centred and supportive environment where everyone can be seen, heard, and valued.

What we Will achieve (Our Outcomes):

The funds raised for Escape Routes will directly impact the lives of 10 young people, giving them a chance to break free from cycles of trauma, exploitation, and negative influences. Through a structured, 5-day transformational retreat programme followed by 6 months of ongoing mentorship, they will gain the tools, knowledge, and support needed to rewrite their paths and future.

How Your Contribution Will Help:

Help young people develop a positive mindset, encouraging healthier attitudes, behaviours, and outlooks.

Provide guidance and support to help young people exit gang life and avoid serious youth violence.

Offer new life experiences to broaden their perspective and inspire them to envision a brighter future.

Equip young people with the knowledge and tools to recognise and resist grooming and gang exploitation.

Teach trauma-informed coping strategies to help young people process their adverse childhood experiences and build emotional resilience.

Provide each young person with a member card, a tracksuit, and a dedicated mentor for six months to help them navigate their challenges, provide consistency and achieve their goals.

Support young people in overcoming practical barriers, such as gang rivalries, debt issues, or a lack of suitable clothing, to ensure they can focus on building a better future.

Your contribution will enable Escape Routes to:

During these retreats, we focus on:

Through carefully curated activities and guided experiences, we expose children to new perspectives, helping them discover possibilities beyond their current reality.

We understand the profound impact trauma can have on a child’s life. Our programme includes trauma-informed support to help children confront and heal from their past.

Children learn from powerful testimonies and life stories shared by mentors, inspiring hope and breaking down harmful misconceptions about themselves and their communities.

The Story of Escape Routes

Escape Route was born from the shared determination of three extraordinary individuals: Sosa, Chris, and Max. Each of them have faced profound challenges in their lives but emerged stronger, with a singular mission—to help others break free from the cycles of crime, exploitation, human trafficking, trauma, and hopelessness that trap so many young people.

United by their experiences and a deep passion for helping others, they came together to create Escape Routes which explores the power of unified support, mentorship, and the chance to change. The programme is a safe haven for young people who are struggling with similar challenges; gang violence, trauma, exploitation, and a lack of opportunities. Through mentorship, life skills training, and powerful interventions, offering young people a chance to break free from their circumstances and build a brighter future.

Sosa’s Resilience

Sosa’s childhood was broken, but his spirit was never broken; changing the narrative of victim to survivor. He is an award winning, passionate advocate for change, whilst being a leading voice in the fight against child criminal exploitation and modern slavery. This is undertaken through public speaking, life coaching, mentoring, training / workshops and consultancy. Sosa has been an integral part of the Human Trafficking Foundation since March 2022. His work emphasises the importance of embedding lived experience into anti-trafficking initiatives, ensuring that the voices of survivors and the unheard are brought to light and valued. He is currently undertaking a BA in Criminology and Sociology, enhancing his lived experience with education. With a focus on spreading awareness on the importance of consistency, collaboration and fostering a deeper understanding of child criminal exploitation. Sosa is dedicated to creating systemic change, this has led to the creation of EST (Everybody Stands Together).

Chris’s Transformation

Chris spent his teenage years chasing fast money through a life of crime. The allure of wealth and status led him down dangerous paths, but deep down, he knew he wanted something more. Through hard work and a shift in mindset, Chris transitioned into legitimate business and enterprise. Now an entrepreneur, Chris consistently proves just how possible it is to rewrite your path. Empowering transformation for young people through his organisation, Unique Talent CIC; which has been changing lives since 2015.

Max’s Determination

Max grew up in a community where crime and violence were everyday realities. An environment surrounded by criminality and negative influences, his path seemed destined to be a dead end. However, driven by sheer self-determination and a desire to rise above his circumstances, Max carved his own way to a better life. Without external support, he solely founded Escape the Hood, which is not simply just a clothing brand, but a powerful symbol of resilience and transformation. Max’s journey showcases the strength of personal resolve and the possibility of creating a new narrative through hard work and vision.

Why Escape Route Matters

The inspiration behind Escape Routes is simple yet profound: to provide the guidance and support that Sosa, Chris, and Max were fortunate enough to receive. They’ve walked the same streets, faced the same battles, and now they are reaching back to lift others out of the darkness.

This isn’t just a programme—it’s a movement. A lifeline for those who need it most. A way to help young people escape the hood, escape their trauma, and escape the limitations placed on them by their environment.

Join the Movement

Your support will help fuel this mission and transform lives. Together, we can empower young people to find their own Escape Route and inspire them to dream of a future beyond their circumstances.

Follow our journey on Social Media @EscapeRoutes_UK #EscapeRoutesUK