Over the past year, social media has played an increasingly important role in helping Reach connect with young people, share community stories and promote opportunities through the Reaching Out programme.
From podcast episodes and presenter auditions to recruitment campaigns and event promotion, our digital channels continue to help us reach new audiences whilst strengthening connections within the Reach community.
A year of growth and engagement
One of the biggest highlights of the past year came when a podcast video shared on Instagram unexpectedly reached a huge audience.
The video achieved:
- More than 2 million views
- Over 20,000 likes
- More than 300 comments
The response showed the appetite for authentic stories and conversations from the Reach community and demonstrated how social media can help amplify the voices of young people with upper limb differences.
Alongside this success, Reach’s social media channels have continued to grow:
- Instagram: 6,568 followers and 2.6 million views
- Facebook: 5,725 followers and 158,000 views during 2026
- TikTok: 839 followers
These channels have become important tools for sharing information, celebrating achievements and helping young people discover opportunities available through Reach.
Supporting the Reaching Out programme
Throughout the year, social media has helped promote a wide range of Reaching Out activities and opportunities, including:
- Reach Retreat
- Reach Retreat 2027 save-the-date announcements
- Podcast episodes
- Presenter auditions
- Recruitment for vocational pathway mentees
The impact of this activity is already being seen. Following recent recruitment campaigns, several young people have expressed interest in joining training pathways and becoming more involved with Reach.
Creating new opportunities
Social media has also supported the recruitment of young people into key development roles.
Recent successes include:
- Recruiting Jesse Velosa to the social media pathway
- Recruiting Jesse as a podcast co-host
- Supporting Jesse’s development through MC and presenter training opportunities
These opportunities are helping young people gain practical skills, build confidence and develop experience that can support future volunteering, education and employment pathways.
Looking ahead
There is still plenty planned for the remainder of the year.
Upcoming priorities include:
- Promoting the new vocational training pathways
- Resuming podcast production in November 2026 with virtual guest interviews
- Planning Reaching Out on Tour
- Delivering presenter workshops in person
As the programme grows, social media will continue to play a key role in helping young people discover opportunities, share their experiences and stay connected with the Reach community.
Most importantly, recent responses to recruitment campaigns suggest that many young adults who may have become less engaged with Reach are beginning to reconnect and explore new ways to participate.
That is exactly what Reaching Out is designed to achieve: creating opportunities, building confidence and helping people find their place within the community.