Growing2gether

What Growing2gether does

Growing2gether is a Scottish-registered charity (SC051919) founded in 2017 by Diana Whitmore, operating from Forres, Morayshire with 8 employees. It delivers youth mentoring and mental health programmes across Scotland, serving vulnerable teenagers and young children (ages 3-5) primarily through schools, nurseries, and community settings. The organisation claims to be Scotland's only charity blending Positive Psychology with trauma-sensitive practice.

The charity's core technology is a proprietary methodology built around three programmes: the Nursery Mentoring Programme (vulnerable teens mentor nursery children — described as 'mentoring-in-reverse'), the Community Programme (Youth Social Action Groups developing and executing their own local community projects), and Skills Training (which teaches the methodology to external professionals). The approach is rooted in Transpersonal and Positive Psychology, with evaluation focused on self-esteem, emotional intelligence, aspiration, mental wellbeing, and reported outcomes of 90% confidence increase, 93% qualification attainment, and 100% participant recommendation rates. Active programme locations include Forres, Tain, Alness, Inverness, and Inverness Merkinch.

Growing2gether operates as a non-profit under a donations-plus-grants revenue model, with no fee-for-service pricing. Funding sources include individual charitable donations and institutional grants, notably from SSEN (Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks), which underwrote a 2025 expansion into new Highland regions and supported 12 Youth Social Action projects. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, partner referrals from schools and councils, and annual showcase events at venues such as Eden Court, Inverness. Major operational partners include the Highland Council Youth Development team and Eden Court; the charity also maintains a long-standing strategic partnership with the Wise Goose School of Coaching for methodology development and staff development.

Name

Growing2gether

Legal name

Growing2gether

Website

https://growing2gether.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring and Community Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring programmes
• Trauma-sensitive practice
• Positive psychology training
• Community youth projects
• Skills training workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Scotland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The organisation operates as a registered Scottish charity (SC051919) and accepts donations from individuals to support its youth mentoring programmes.
2. Corporate and Institutional Grants: Funding from organisations such as SSEN (Scottish and Southern Energy) enabling regional expansion into new areas including Tain, Alness, and Inverness Merkinch.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Growing2gether delivers youth mentoring and community programmes in Scotland, including a Nursery Mentoring Programme that trains vulnerable teens to mentor children aged 3–5, a Community Programme operating Youth Social Action Groups, and Skills Training that teaches the organisation's Positive Psychology and trauma-sensitive methodology to professionals. Programmes are delivered free of charge in schools, nurseries, and community settings across Scotland, with the organisation funded by donations and grants.

Product overview

Growing2gether is Scotland's only charity blending Positive Psychology with trauma-sensitive practice. The organisation operates three core programmes: the Nursery Mentoring Programme (training vulnerable teens to mentor nursery children), the Community Programme (Youth Social Action Groups creating community projects), and Skills Training (teaching their pioneering approach to professionals). A subsidiary Youth Power initiative provides mental health resources. The programmes share a common methodology rooted in transpersonal psychology and evidence-based approaches, unified by the goal of transforming young people facing disadvantage into mentors and changemakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nursery Mentoring Programme Trauma-sensitive mentoring programme in which vulnerable teens are trained to mentor nursery children aged 3–5, with the dual aim of building purpose and self-belief in the teen and providing additional nurturing support to the young child. Delivered in nursery and school settings across Scotland.
• Community Programme Youth Social Action Groups in which young people develop and execute their own community projects that tackle real local issues, stepping forward as changemakers to create positive change in their communities.
• Skills Training Training programmes that teach Growing2gether's pioneering approach based on Positive Psychology and trauma-sensitive practice, designed for professionals working with young people or adults to build skills for eliciting transpersonal change.
• Youth Power Youth empowerment initiative that provides a Find Help resource section connecting young people to mental health and support services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of teens report increased confidence after programme participation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Wise Goose School of CoachingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Wise Goose School of Coaching, a B Corp accredited organisation. Wise Goose has supported Growing2gether by integrating coaching as a central modality in work with young people, offered pro bono coaching to staff for wellbeing and confidence, and gifted fully accredited coach training to several staff members. The partnership embodies shared values of creating win-win outcomes and deep democracy.
• Highland Council - Tain Youth DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Highland Council's Youth Development team in Tain, led by Rob Parkes, Youth Development Officer. The partnership delivered the Tain Underpass transformation project where 37 young people created a vibrant community space.
• Eden CourtsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEden Court, Inverness serves as the venue for annual Youth Social Action project showcases where groups from multiple locations present their community projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: Large UK social business delivering services for vulnerable young people including social action and mentoring-adjacent programmes. Comparable beneficiary focus and delivery-through-schools model.
• Action for Children: Major UK children's charity supporting vulnerable children, young people and families through direct services and schools-based programmes. Overlapping mission and beneficiary segments.
• The Prince's Trust: Large established UK youth charity supporting disadvantaged young people with confidence, skills and training. Broader incumbent in overlapping target segment and outcome categories (qualifications, self-belief, mental wellbeing).
• Children in Need (BBC): Major UK funder and grantmaker specifically for disadvantaged children and young people, including mental health and youth projects. Highly relevant as both a comparable mission and a likely funding source for Growing2gether.
• Volunteering Matters: UK charity running mentoring and social action programmes for young people including intergenerational projects. Comparable youth mentoring and community impact positioning.
• Barnardo's: Largest UK children's charity, delivering services across child welfare, mental health and youth support including schools-based work. Comparable end beneficiary even though delivery model is much broader.

Regional players

• Youth Scotland: Scottish national body supporting youth work and youth-led social action. Directly comparable in geography and social action programme model, although delivers through a federation rather than direct mentoring.

Direct peers

• Mentor UK: UK charity dedicated to youth mentoring practice, advocacy and quality standards. Direct peer in the youth mentoring services category with overlapping evidence-driven outcome measurement.
• Teens and Toddlers: Direct predecessor organisation founded by Diana Whitmore in England in 2001, delivering the original Mentoring-in-Reverse concept. Closest comparable entity given shared founder, methodology and beneficiary profile.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters UK: Large UK youth mentoring charity delivering structured one-to-one mentoring for young people. Highly comparable mission, beneficiary base and outcome focus (confidence, engagement, qualifications) to Growing2gether.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@growing2gether977
• Facebookfacebook.com/Growing2getherScot
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/growing2gether
• Instagraminstagram.com/growing2getherscot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Growing2gether