News

2010/11 Summary of Activities

We also expended our sessions and services further by opening a third evening session in Cleator Moor on a Friday evening. In total the number of sessions we deliver has increased from seven to nine in April 2010. We have also secured funding to employ permanently an eight member of staff in February 2011. This was after Leigh worked with the project for free as part of the future jobs initiative for twelve months. This growth has all taken place during a recession and economic hardship. Our county council funding from April 2011 onwards has taken a 25% cut and we are still able to bring in the necessary funds to employ Leigh. This all highlights the strength of the project going forward into a tough financial climate.
We have worked with over 700 different young people this year, with over a 200 of these on a week to week basis (during the winter months). The young people have all benefited from their learning and development. We have delivered centre based, detached and outreach youth work sessions in Cleator Moor, Frizington, Moor Row and their surrounding areas. The core of the provision is centre based running seven evening sessions every week. We split each evening centre based provision into two sessions, the first for 8-12 year olds and the second for 13-19 year olds. The latter is the focus of the project. We deliver a weekly NEET group aimed at young people who are not in education, employment or training. We have supported around a dozen young people in these sessions with year. Furthermore we also deliver a weekly detached youth work session across our entire delivery area. This is aimed at further marginalised young people who have specific barriers that stop them participating in our centre based provision. We carry out a range of informal educational youth work sessions with these young people as well.
As well as supporting our paid staff we always strive to support and develop local volunteers. In the past twelve months we have worked with more volunteers than ever, 21 in total. All of these are local adults. The largest growth in volunteers has been in Moor Row. This is a sign of reputation of the project continuing to grow and more difficult times for adults gaining employment.
We achieved 36 accredited outcomes ranging from the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Keyfund, and the Youth Achievement Awards. These are the only three accredited options that we deliver each year as they are the ones that add best to young peoples C.V.s. There are much easier and simpler methods to accredit young people such as one hour dry slope skiing, and afternoon canoeing. Ultimately we believe that these do not add value to their record of achievements. Over 100 young people have achieved a recorded outcome during the last twelve months.
We also carry out a number of community tasks each year as part of our rewards for actions scheme, where young people give something back to their community. Tasks carried out this year have included litter picks, running a coffee afternoon, bag packing at co-op funding for Wyndham Manor, running a bingo and coffee afternoon at Wyndham Manor for its residents, and helping to run a farmers market. We deliver informal issue based workshops on a sessional basis aimed at the needs of young people. These range from drug and alcohol misuse, sex and sexual health, anti-social behaviour, etc. These are negotiated through identified needs by both young people and the youth workers who work very closely with the young people.
The new Friday evening provision is aimed at breaking the cycle of drug and alcohol use on Friday nights by our young people. Furthermore we support young people in organising residentials and trips during but not exclusively in school holiday periods. Young people participate, direct and decide what services are delivered for them on a regular basis. In each centre there are a young persons committee that has a genuine say on the running of their centre, the activities that are delivered, the trips that are planned and how small pots of money are spent. These centre committees have linked in the north east Copeland youth forum and will in the next financial year link into the Copeland and Cumbria wide young peoples committees.


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