Creating a Life-Saving Legacy Through First Give: Lift Broadlands and Mikey’s World

Through First Give, young people are supported to explore social issues that matter to them, connect directly with local charities and take meaningful action in their own communities. By placing trust, responsibility and decision‑making power in students’ hands, the programme builds confidence, empathy and a strong sense of agency. At Lift Broadlands, this approach enabled a powerful, youth‑led partnership to form with Mikey’s World, rooted in shared local experience and a commitment to making their community safer. 

Mikey’s World 

Mikey, from Kingswood, Bristol, was just 16 when he was tragically killed in a knife attack at a birthday party in the nearby area of Bath in June 2023.  

In the face of unimaginable loss, Mikey’s mum, Hayley, transformed grief into purpose by creating Mikey’s World, a charity rooted in community, compassion and prevention. The charity focuses on educating young people about the realities and consequences of knife crime, while taking practical action to make communities safer. 

“We raise awareness of the devastation knife crime causes, of the effects of carrying weapons and the consequences of actions,” Hayley explains. 

A central part of Mikey’s World’s work is the installation of public bleed kits, supported by free training for staff, volunteers and community members to use them effectively. Working in partnership with Avon and Somerset Police, the charity also uses innovative tools such as virtual reality to encourage honest, impactful conversations with young people.

Young People Leading Change Through First Give 

Students at Lift Broadlands in Bath and North East Somerset, were introduced to Mikey’s World through the First Give programme. From the outset, their engagement was thoughtful, empathetic and deeply personal. For many young people in the area, Mikey’s story is not abstract or distant, it is rooted in the same streets, communities and spaces they move through every day. This local connection creates a powerful sense of shared responsibility, where young people feel they are not just learning about social issues, but responding to challenges that affect their own world. 

“They knew Mikey’s story or had heard what had happened,” Hayley reflects. “They were very empathetic to me and I believe they chose Mikey’s World as we are a local charity which affects them and their safety.” 

Choosing Mikey’s World allowed students to see their own lives, concerns and safety reflected in the work of the charity. Supporting a cause so close to home helped them feel connected, not only to Mikey’s family, but to one another, through a shared understanding of the risks young people face in their community. 

Through hands-on workshops, students learned how bleed kits are used, explored real-life scenarios, and experienced VR programmes that brought home the reality of knife crime. 

“They had a go at using a bleed kit, asked lots of questions and talked through situations,” says Hayley. “We discussed who they would help and what they could do in that situation.” 

Building Skills, Confidence and Purpose 

As part of the First Give programme, students worked together to research, plan and present a compelling case for why Mikey’s World should receive the First Give grant. In doing so, they developed confidence, teamwork and presentation skills, while showing genuine care and motivation. Working collaboratively towards a shared goal gave students a strong sense of belonging within their group. They were not completing individual tasks for a grade, but contributing collectively to something that mattered, to each other and to their wider community. 

“They were so passionate and it was obvious when presenting,” Hayley says. “To work together and put a project together with national statistics was brilliant.” 

Students demonstrated their creativity in their final presentation representing Mikey’s World

Their support went beyond expectations. Hayley speaks powerfully about the kindness and emotional intelligence the students showed throughout. 

“They kept asking if I was ok, checked what they could share… very empathetic but also warm and caring. They wanted to win and it was really obvious that was for my boy.” 

The relationship that formed between the students and Mikey’s mum went beyond a typical school‑charity interaction. It was rooted in mutual care and respect, helping young people feel that they were trusted as part of a wider community of adults and changemakers. 

A Lasting Legacy: Bleed Kits for the Community 

The students’ work was recognised when they won the £1,000 First Give grant, which will be used directly to fund new community bleed kits. 

Mikey’s World expressed their pride in the young people in at Lift Broadlands and their delight at winning the £1000 grant

Crucially, the partnership does not end with the funding. Students will actively help identify where the kits should be located, ensuring they are placed in areas that young people themselves believe will make the greatest difference. “The students will find places they think they are needed and we will install them,” Hayley confirms. 

This shared ownership ensures the legacy of the First Give programme extends far beyond the classroom, embedding safety, awareness and social responsibility within the wider community. By involving students directly in decisions about where bleed kits should be placed, the programme reinforced a sense of ownership and belonging. Young people were treated as experts in their own community, trusted to make decisions that could genuinely save lives. 

An Enduring Impact 

“I never thought they would get so involved and show so much passion and pride in what they did…I felt so proud of them

Hayley, Mikey’s World

Hayley is confident that the experience has sparked something lasting in the young people involved. 

“I really feel they want to be involved and would welcome it,” she says, noting their interest in continued social action and fundraising. 

Through this partnership, Mikey’s memory lives on not only through awareness and education, but through tangible, life-saving resources that may one day protect someone else’s child. 

“I never thought they would get so involved and show so much passion and pride in what they did,” Hayley reflects. “I felt so proud of them.” 

This collaboration stands as a powerful example of how young people, when trusted and supported, develop a deep sense of belonging, to their school, their community and their role as citizens, transforming tragedy into a legacy of hope, action and collective care.  

By Rhiannon Youssef– Programme Manager for Wales and the South West