Dr. Charlie Alcock founded MAC-UK in 2008 collaboration with a group of gang involved young people. The aim was to address the statistic that one in three young offenders has an unmet mental health need at the time of offence. During her clinical training, Charlie worked with young offenders attached to two of the most influential and dangerous gangs in the USA.

Back in London, Charlie wanted to use a youth led approach to start up a project that would enable mental health to be accessible to young people within their community. Three years later, MAC-UK successfully engages with some of the UK’s most excluded and deprived young people who are most in need of support but least likely to access it. The unique MAC-UK model takes mental health into their territories on their terms to promote positive mental health through innovative youth led projects and one-to-one Street Therapy work.

During the August 2011 riots, Charlie was invited to comment on the possible causes by Sky News and BBC Radio, and MAC-UK was subsequently cited as an example of best practice in the Home Office report “Ending Gang and Youth Violence” (November 2011). MAC-UK also won the Charity Times Charity of the Year Award last year and Charlie also won their Rising Star Award.