Six evidence-informed programmes designed to support children and young people aged 11–18 to develop, thrive, and build positive futures across 11 Nigerian states.
Society for Community Development's programmes are built on a fundamental belief: that every child and young person has the capacity to grow, learn, and contribute positively to their community. Our role is to create the conditions in which that growth becomes possible — by providing skilled, compassionate, and consistent support that addresses the whole young person, not just presenting challenges.
Our six core programmes work in an integrated way. A young person may engage with mentoring and guidance while also participating in life skills sessions and receiving emotional support. Our staff are trained to take a holistic view of each individual, developing support plans that address their specific needs, strengths, and goals.
All SCD programmes are delivered within a robust safeguarding framework. The safety and dignity of every young person is the foundation on which all of our work rests. Staff are trained, supervised, and supported to deliver programmes to the highest professional standards.
Structured one-to-one and group mentoring that provides young people with a trusted adult relationship and the encouragement they need to navigate challenges and pursue positive goals.
Refer a Young PersonMentoring sits at the heart of SCD's approach. For many of the young people we work with, a consistent, non-judgemental relationship with a trusted adult is something they have rarely or never experienced. Our mentors provide that relationship — offering reliable presence, genuine encouragement, and skilled guidance through the challenges of adolescence.
SCD mentoring is delivered in both one-to-one and small group formats, depending on the needs of the young person. Sessions are structured and goal-focused while remaining flexible enough to respond to whatever a young person brings to the conversation. Mentors are trained, supervised, and supported to maintain professional boundaries while developing genuine, warm, and productive relationships.
Each young person is matched with a mentor who is suited to their needs, background, and interests. Mentoring sessions typically take place weekly and address areas including confidence building, decision-making, personal goal-setting, and navigating social relationships. Where a young person is struggling in education or at risk of disengagement, mentoring provides a bridge — connecting the young person to positive expectations and practical support.
Group mentoring brings young people together around shared themes and challenges — offering peer learning, social skills development, and a sense of belonging and community that can be profoundly positive for young people who feel isolated or marginalised.
Targeted support that helps young people understand their emotions, build resilience, and develop healthy coping strategies for the difficulties they face.
Refer a Young PersonEmotional wellbeing is the foundation on which everything else in a young person's life depends. A young person who is struggling emotionally — whether as a result of family difficulties, trauma, social pressures, or other challenges — will find it very difficult to engage positively with education, relationships, and community life. SCD's emotional wellbeing support programme is designed to help young people develop the inner resources they need to navigate difficulty with resilience and self-awareness.
Our approach draws on established frameworks including trauma-informed practice and the Sanctuary Model, ensuring that emotional support is delivered in a way that is sensitive to the experiences and needs of each individual. Staff are trained to create safe, non-judgemental spaces in which young people feel able to express themselves honestly and openly.
Emotional wellbeing support includes individual and group sessions focused on emotional literacy — helping young people name, understand, and manage their feelings. Sessions cover topics including recognising and regulating strong emotions, managing stress and anxiety, building self-esteem, understanding the impact of past experiences, and developing healthy ways of expressing and processing difficult feelings.
For young people who have experienced significant trauma or adversity, SCD's staff work with specialist services to ensure appropriate, well-coordinated support. Emotional wellbeing work at SCD always complements, and never replaces, specialist clinical or therapeutic interventions where these are indicated.
Practical, structured sessions that equip young people with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to become independent, responsible, and capable individuals.
Refer a Young PersonThe transition from childhood to adulthood demands a broad set of practical, social, and personal capabilities that many young people — particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or complex family situations — have had limited opportunity to develop. SCD's life skills programme bridges this gap, providing structured, engaging, and practical sessions that prepare young people for the challenges and opportunities of adult life.
Sessions are delivered in small group settings and individually tailored where needed. Topics are selected to reflect the real developmental needs of young people aged 11–18, with content appropriately differentiated for different age groups. Sessions are designed to be engaging, participatory, and applicable to the real circumstances of young people's lives.
The life skills programme covers a broad range of content including communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork and cooperation, problem-solving and critical thinking, personal responsibility and self-management, financial awareness, health and personal wellbeing, and understanding rights and responsibilities. Sessions also address civic awareness — helping young people understand their communities, their rights, and their responsibilities as citizens.
For young people approaching the transition to adulthood, additional content covers employability, further education, and practical life management skills that will serve them well beyond their engagement with SCD.
Motivating and supporting young people to engage positively with education through targeted encouragement, guidance, and goal-setting support.
Refer a Young PersonEducation is one of the most powerful enablers of positive futures for children and young people. Yet for many of the young people SCD works with, engagement with school and learning is a source of anxiety, frustration, or disillusionment rather than opportunity. Our educational support programme is not remedial tutoring — it is a structured effort to rebuild a young person's relationship with education, helping them to re-engage with learning, recognise their own capabilities, and develop the motivation to pursue educational goals.
SCD works closely with schools and educational institutions to understand each young person's situation and provide complementary support that reinforces, rather than duplicates, what schools are doing. We communicate regularly with teachers and school leaders where appropriate, always with the young person's knowledge and, where possible, their active participation.
Sessions focus on building a young person's confidence in learning, understanding their educational strengths and areas of difficulty, setting achievable short and medium-term educational goals, and developing study habits and approaches that work for them as individuals. Where a young person is at risk of school exclusion or non-attendance, SCD works with schools and families to address underlying barriers and support re-engagement.
We also support young people through key educational transitions — from primary to secondary school, through examination periods, and from secondary school to further education, training, or employment — recognising that these transition points are often when young people most need additional guidance and encouragement.
Compassionate, evidence-based support that helps young people understand their behaviour, develop self-regulation, and build positive patterns of conduct in all areas of life.
Refer a Young PersonChallenging behaviour in young people is rarely random or meaningless — it is almost always a form of communication. A young person who acts out, withdraws, or responds to difficulty in ways that create problems for themselves or others is often signalling an unmet need, an unprocessed experience, or a skill that has not yet been developed. SCD's behavioural support programme begins from this premise — responding to behaviour with curiosity and compassion rather than simply consequences and correction.
Our approach is fully aligned with trauma-informed practice. We understand that many of the young people we support have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have shaped their neurological and emotional development. Behavioural support at SCD is therefore built around understanding, skill-building, and relationship — not punishment or control.
Behavioural support begins with a thorough assessment of the young person's needs, history, and circumstances — carried out sensitively and collaboratively with the young person wherever possible. A personalised support plan is developed that identifies the function of the behaviour, the skills the young person needs to develop, and the environmental and relational changes that will help them succeed.
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) techniques are used by trained SCD staff to de-escalate situations of heightened distress in a way that is safe, respectful, and minimally intrusive. Restorative practice approaches are used to help young people reflect on the impact of their behaviour on others and to develop the accountability and empathy that underpin genuine behavioural change.
Connecting young people with their communities and working with families, schools, and local organisations to build the network of support that every young person deserves.
Refer a Young PersonYoung people do not develop in isolation — they develop within families, schools, peer groups, and communities. SCD's community engagement programme recognises that lasting positive change for a young person requires not only individual support, but the active involvement and strengthening of the social environment around them. We work with the communities in which young people live to build the understanding, skills, and relationships that help communities better support their young people.
Community engagement at SCD takes multiple forms: direct work with families to strengthen parenting confidence and parent-child relationships; outreach and awareness-raising within communities about the needs and rights of young people; capacity building with community organisations, religious institutions, and local leaders; and advocacy for the systemic changes needed to improve outcomes for young people at state and national level.
Families are central to the lives of the young people SCD supports. Where appropriate and with the young person's agreement, SCD involves parents and carers as active partners in the support process. Family sessions may address communication, boundary-setting, understanding adolescent development, or the specific challenges a family is navigating. SCD never works against families — our goal is to strengthen the family unit as a resource for the young person's development wherever possible.
Community outreach also includes safeguarding awareness work — equipping families, schools, and community members to recognise the signs of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and to know how to respond appropriately and effectively.
Accessing support from SCD is straightforward. We aim to respond to all referral enquiries within five working days and to initiate an assessment within two weeks of a referral being accepted.
Contact SCD by phone (+234 706 838 3770) or email (info@scdng.org) to discuss a potential referral. You can also complete our online contact form to get in touch.
A member of the SCD team will carry out an initial assessment to understand the young person's needs, circumstances, and what kind of support might be most beneficial.
A personalised support plan is developed collaboratively — with the young person's involvement wherever possible — identifying which programmes and approaches will best meet their needs.
Support begins, with regular reviews to assess progress, adapt the plan as needed, and ensure the young person is benefiting and their safety and wellbeing are continuously monitored.
Contact our team to discuss how SCD can support the young person you are concerned about. We are ready to help.
Phone: +234 706 838 3770 | Email: info@scdng.org