Every Child Deserves a Confidence Toolkit: Inside the Free Programme Changing Lives

Ilaria Magagnoli 

What if every child left primary school with a practical toolkit for confidence, resilience, and authentic self-expression – tools they’d use for life? This isn’t fantasy – it’s already happening in 230+ UK schools, reaching over 33,000 children.

The need is urgent. One in five children aged 8 to 16 (20%) had a probable mental disorder in 2023, up from one in nine (12%) in 2017, according to NHS England. Meanwhile, 61% of 10–17-year-old girls in the UK have low self-esteem. For parents and teachers, these aren’t statistics – they’re real faces and real pain of the children sitting in front of them every day.

My transition from a career in the City to coaching psychology came from witnessing confidence’s profound impact on the choices we make and ultimately, our life outcomes. Watching my own teenage daughters and their peers contend with pressures magnified beyond previous generations changed everything. Social media’s pervasive influence, academic anxiety and appearance pressures have all intensified the landscape in which youngsters have to find their footing. This drove me to earn an MSc in Psychology, determined to support women and young people reach their full potential through evidence-based approaches.

Yet whilst I was studying theory, a quiet revolution was already unfolding in schools across the UK – one that’s now equipped over 33,000 children with practical “confidence-building toolkits” designed to last a lifetime.

Meeting Inner Wings: A Mission That Changed Everything

My introduction to Inner Wings came at their first-year fundraiser in 2021. Founded by two inspirational technology leaders – Melissa Di Donato Roos and Darren Roos – the organisation’s mission immediately resonated: fostering confidence and resilience in young children aged 6-12 throughout the UK, especially those most in need, via completely free school programmes that nurture self-worth, courage and acceptance. I jumped at the opportunity to support the charity, becoming a Trustee.

Melissa, one of the Top 10 most influential women in UK Technology and inaugural chair of the 30% Club’s Technology Working Group, has spent 25+ years working passionately to make technology welcoming for everyone, especially women. Darren, a proven technology leader now Chairman of IFS, is a committed advocate of equality and diversity who transformed female leadership there from 10% to 40%.

At that time, they were considering a new programme focussed on public speaking. I suggested adapting the communications coaching techniques we use with global leaders – methods Melissa had experienced as a CEO – into age-appropriate content for children. This collaboration resulted in our second programme, “Finding Your Voice”, and our newest initiative, “Finding your Wings”, launched in primary schools this September.

The scale of impact is already impressive: 33,000+ children reached across 230+ partner schools, with 1,100+ teachers trained to deliver the programmes, completely free of charge.

The Complete Toolkit Approach

Confidence plummets during adolescence – exactly when it’s most needed. By secondary school, many students already believe they’re “not good enough”. Inner Wings intervenes earlier, reaching children whilst their core self-perceptions are still forming.

What sets Inner Wings apart is recognising that lasting confidence requires multiple tools working together. This is why we’ve developed three interconnected programmes addressing different layers of confidence building:

Finding Your Superpower provides foundation tools. Through engaging activities, children discover what makes them unique, develop growth mindset approaches and learn to celebrate achievements. Every child finds one or more “superpowers” – whether it’s kindness, reading, sport or creativity. One teacher shared: “I had a parent say their child was calling their additional needs their superpowers.”

Finding Your Voice delivers expression tools, focusing on public speaking, presence under pressure, and authentic communication. The impact here has been particularly striking: at one Scottish school, only 10% of pupils initially said they loved talking in front of the class. After completing the programme, 62% said they loved it. Children learn that they are “good communicators in their own authentic way.”

Finding Your Wings, launched this September, adds resilience tools to the children’s toolkit. It teaches children to find confidence in being authentically themselves and to keep flying despite life’s challenges. Using mind-body connection techniques and the “CTEAR” framework, children learn how Circumstances, Thoughts, Emotions, Actions, and Results connect – giving them practical tools for managing stress and emotional regulation.

Evidence-Based Foundation Meets Real Results

Every tool is grounded in rigorous research – Brené Brown’s vulnerability research, self-determination theory, neuropsychology – then shaped into fun, drama and movement-based activities that keep children engaged and “begging each week to do the next session!” (Deputy Headteacher and Mental Health & Wellbeing Champion)

This scientific grounding translates into measurable outcomes: 80% of children report increased confidence after completing the Inner Wings programmes and 87% of teachers observe positive changes in students who needed support most.

The qualitative feedback provides the most compelling evidence. Teachers consistently report transformations like: “Emily now puts her hand up and deals positively when she doesn’t answer correctly,” and “After delivering the programme, children are speaking out more confidently in class with increased resilience to give things a go.”

These aren’t temporary confidence boosts – they represent fundamental shifts in how children perceive themselves and their capabilities. Children own these tools, which is why the impact lasts.

Economic Impact Through Individual Empowerment

The benefits extend far beyond individual wellbeing. By equipping children with confidence toolkits early, Inner Wings is addressing a critical economic pipeline – preparing resilient, confident adults who can adapt, lead and innovate in a changing world.

The toolkit approach ensures these benefits compound over time. Children equipped with practical confidence tools become teenagers who navigate academic pressures successfully, young adults who excel in job interviews and advocate for themselves in negotiations, and eventually confident parents who pass these skills to the next generation.

Political Recognition and Scalable Solutions

Our approach has gained recognition at the highest levels of government, business and academia. Inner Wings’ Advisory Council launched at the House of Lords, hosted by Baroness Mary Goudie. On the 20th October, Melissa returns alongside Baroness Goudie and Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, to engage with Peers, MPs, and supporters.

This recognition validates what we’ve seen empirically in classrooms – this approach isn’t just an educational nice-to-have, it’s essential infrastructure for preparing resilient, capable citizens who are equipped to contribute meaningfully to national prosperity.

Our teacher-delivered model provides crucial advantages in scalability. Rather than relying on expensive external facilitators, we train the teachers who are already familiar with their students, using comprehensive handbooks and supporting materials. The model’s flexibility allows for whole-class delivery or targeted interventions, with all programmes aligning with Personal and Social Education frameworks, completely free of charge.

The Lifetime Investment Proposition

Our “toolkit for life” vision represents prevention rather than cure, with significant economic implications. We’re front-loading confidence development – giving children tools before they need them rather than waiting for problems to emerge.

The impact is both immediate and transformational: teachers empowered with approaches that work, parents witnessing positive changes at home and children equipped with practical confidence tools today who become resilient adults who learned emotional regulation early on, and future leaders equipped with authentic communication skills.

Completing the Revolution

With the September 2025 launch of Finding Your Wings, we’ve completed our comprehensive confidence toolkit. For the first time in the UK, schools have access to free programmes addressing foundational confidence, authentic expression and emotional resilience. With demonstrated impact across 230+ partner schools and proven training methodologies, we’re positioned to scale significantly whilst maintaining programme quality and accessibility.

Schools can implement these programmes through innerwings.org, with free teacher training and comprehensive support provided. We continue seeking partners and sponsors to expand our reach, recognising that universal access to confidence toolkits could represent transformational social policy.

The Question That Matters

Every child deserves practical tools for building confidence, expressing themselves authentically, and maintaining resilience. We’ve proven these tools work, demonstrated they can be delivered at scale, and shown the economic benefits extend far beyond individual wellbeing.

In an era where children face unprecedented pressures whilst adults grapple with mental health crises that often trace back to childhood experiences, Inner Wings offers something genuinely revolutionary: practical, evidence-based tools that prevent problems rather than merely treating them.

The question isn’t whether these programmes work – the evidence is clear. The question is how quickly we can reach every child who needs them.

From playground challenges to future boardroom presentations, these toolkits empower children to become confident, resilient adults who can maximise their potential whilst contributing to broader economic prosperity.

For more information about Inner Wings programmes, visit innerwings.org

Sources to reference:

NHS England Digital (2023): “Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023 – wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey” – This is the most authoritative and recent UK data showing that 20.3% of 8-16 year olds had a probable mental disorder in 2023, compared to 12% in 2017.
Dove Global Girls Beauty and Confidence Report (2017): The 61% low self-esteem figure for 10-17 year old girls – while from 2017, this remains the most widely cited statistic on girls’ self-esteem in the UK.