Support for Young People
You do not have to face this alone
Living with an autoimmune condition as a young adult can feel incredibly difficult and isolating.
Friends may not understand and it can be hard to explain what you are going through. The Wren Project offers free one-to-one and group listening support for young people aged 18 to 25 who are living with autoimmune conditions such as autoimmune hepatitis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, scleroderma, Sjögren’s, or ankylosing spondylitis.
Our trained volunteers do not give advice or try to solve things. They listen with warmth and care so you can feel seen and understood.
Listening support for young people
Who it is for
Support is available to anyone aged 18 to 25 in the UK living with a diagnosis of autoimmune disease. You may be newly diagnosed and looking for understanding, managing fatigue or pain while studying or working, or wanting to meet others who understand what you are going through.
How we support you
Our volunteers provide support to people living with lifelong, incurable autoimmune conditions.
Their role is not to offer advice or solutions, but instead to be with someone during a time of difficulty, pain and uncertainty. Volunteers show up for our Wrens, people we support, when others have not.
You can choose one-to-one sessions or small group listening support. Our support is free and online, meaning you can join from across the UK.. In one-to-one sessions, you are matched with a volunteer who listens without judgement. Group sessions bring other people living with an autoimmune disease diagnosis together to share, listen, and connect. Listening support sessions run fortnightly and last for up to 50 minutes.
Many young adults find our free listening support following a recent diagnosis of autoimmune disease, or during a period of difficulty in their lives. The support we offer is free, without judgement or advice. We are simply here to listen and support.
“Support helped me navigate life with coeliac disease in a way I could not do alone.”
- Laura, a Wren
Take the first step
Support for young people is free and open to anyone aged 18 to 25 in the UK with autoimmune conditions.
Register to join free one-to-one or group support and find calm, community, and connection with others who understand.
Refer yourself or somebody else
If you are living in distress with autoimmune disease, our free listening support is available to you. We aim to respond to all applications within a week and pair you with a volunteer as soon as possible. We sometimes operate a short waiting list.
We can only accept referrals from people who have received an official diagnosis of autoimmune disease, as recognised by the NHS. At present, we don’t have capacity to support long term conditions which are not recognised as autoimmune by the NHS, including: Fibromyalgia, ME, CFS, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism and Long Covid.
We support people aged 18 and over, who are experiencing distress as a result of an autoimmune diagnosis. To be eligible you must live in the UK, have access to a phone, and/or WiFi, and be willing to talk about your autoimmune disease and the impact it is having on your life.
Apply for support
