Actually, this is a little closer to home than I initially admitted (even to myself) one of my friends who's also involved in this project knows the girls mother, and my eldest son knew the girl for a short time as she hung out with him and his friends lately, I vaguely know her mother (as in I know who she is)
The girls mother spends more time in the pub than she does at home. Now I'm not blaming or judging her, I know it's an illness/poor choices/ whatever.
But it hit home with me, Joe could just as easily be the one who inspired this youth club. He was in the same position, an only child of a single addicted parent. He had someone though, and somewhere to go.
You can be sure we wont be ramming the 'evils of drink and drugs' down these kids throats, but you can be as equally sure that the information and support will be there for them to help them make the right choices for them.