"In the formative years of our lives, a healthy environment of good friends and family are essential to develop confidence, character and resilience. In today’s world ‘community’ is shrinking and the ability for our young people to meet like-minded others is severely impacted. The E2M project is a beacon of hope in a world where the young feel lonely, afraid and isolated."

"I am hugely impressed with the vision, values and existing achievements of E2M. Our young people are growing up in a world which has stripped words like ‘connection’, ‘like’ and even ‘friend’ of any real meaning, and E2M acts as an antidote – restoring creativity, communion, intrinsic motivation and critical engagement to their lives. It teaches us all that hands-on doesn’t mean brains-off."

"I believe that E2M’s vision to prevent mental health problems in young people will be immensely successful. Offering young people a safe compassionate space to escape from social media, relax and join in with interesting creative courses will help them make new circles of friends and connections in the community. E2M will undoubtedly help counteract the stress, loneliness and lack of resilience that is the root of so many emotional problems in the younger generation"

"Escape2Make provides young people with a chance to make things, make friends and make a difference in their community by drawing on their creativity and developing their entrepreneurial mindset. I simply can’t think of a better example of social enterprise delivering such positive impact for all stakeholders."

"It’s nothing short of a public health tragedy that so many of our young people today are socially isolated and suffering mental health problems. What is impressive about the E2M model is that it brings together resources from organisations in the public, not-for-profit and business sectors to create supportive experiences for young people. And not least it includes outdoors activities so that young people can benefit from the joy of open, green, and hopefully wild, spaces in our natural world. With budget pressures on traditional county council youth services organisations like E2M are needed more than ever!"

"My name is Andy Palfreyman 56 years of age…30 of those were spent street homeless. A chance meeting with Jenny Natusch (founder of E2M) in 2015 started a chain of events that gave me my life back. That chance meeting enabled me to discover my creative side. I now have photography exhibitions, fashion shows and media work on my CV. I’ve watched E2M develop over the last few years and I truly believe had E2M been around in my younger days it would have given me a safe place to be creative and express myself, saving me and many other young people from experiencing homelessness."

"Escape2Make’s focus on creativity, inclusion, relationship and enterprise will provide our district’s young people with invaluable experiences and skills at a critical time in their development, as well as supporting our communities’ recovery from the pandemic. It is in all of our interest to support the council’s objective of Healthy and Happy Communities across our district, and Escape2Make’s activities will undoubtedly contribute to achieving that ambition. Escape2Make enables young people to offer their skills and enthusiasm as we all face the challenges of climate change and Covid recovery. As a council, we value their unique perspective and contribution to our ongoing community conversations."

"“The power of social inclusion is immense! When Escape2Make (E2M) bring young diverse communities together, they open up opportunities to develop awareness, empathy, compassion and deeper understanding of people from all walks of life. E2M harness those opportunities, so that young people work collaboratively to develop the good stuff and find solutions to problems. “This is active community cohesion – it allows for sustainable impact. Without it, and simply focusing on one section of the community, small gains would be achieved but nothing of real significance or lasting value. E2M know that young people hold our future. They bring them together, give them the opportunities and support them in moulding their destinies.”"

"“As a children’s nurse with experience of working with and alongside young people in hospital and community settings, I’ve seen first-hand how the pressures of loneliness, exams, social media, not fitting in, can impact adversely on their mental well-being. E2M can be an alternative support for young people as its approach and passion to be led by young people is at its core. Young people attending don’t have to excel at sports, academia etc and E2M offer welcoming and safe spaces, allowing them to escape and create, make friends and make a difference for themselves and others.”"