What the Disability Youth Project has achieved in 2016/2017
We have had a very positive year within the Youth Project. Our 6 weekly youth clubs
continue to go from strength to strength with their delivery and we are now working
with children and young people from a variety of schools and colleges. These include
but are not limited to:
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Priory
St Giles
Bensham Manor
St Nicholas
Redgates
Carshalton College
Holiday schemes
We have delivered holiday provision across all the major holidays apart from
Christmas. Waddon Youth Hub is our usual area for delivery of services apart from
two weeks of summer where we deliver out of Bensham Manor School to
accommodate larger numbers and use their excellent facilities. Waddon is seen as
the most suitable site for the remainder of the year because of its accessible building
and the surrounding green spaces, as well as good transport links from the North
and South part of the borough. Children and young people feel comfortable and
confident within the centre and the staff team, along with the resources and
equipment help the young people achieve the best outcomes possible during their
time with us.
Volunteers
Volunteers are a major part of our
delivery and we are currently lucky
enough to have 11 adults with a
disability supporting our project. Some
of these are still members of our 18-25
year old youth group but volunteer with
our younger age groups and all are very
keen to offer something back to the
project. A number of these adults are
undertaking their Bronze DofE award
with us as well. Before the summer
scheme a number of them undertook
some training delivered by my team
around ‘An Introduction to Youth Work’.
Travel Training
Over the past year various travel training programmes
have been supported by our staff to give young people
more personal independence. A pupil who attended
Castle Hill was supported to walk home from our
Bensham Youth Club a few roads away. His road safety
awareness got better each week and he was supported
by a Bensham Manor TA (who also works for the
project) so there was continuity when he moved to
Bensham in September 2016. However, he was signed
off as independent by the end of that summer term,
much to the delight of his working parent.
CPFC Foundation and Physical Activity
Physical activity and well-being is a key part of our offer and our
staff are adept at delivering varying sessions such as basketball,
football, yoga, martial arts and even Zumba for our diverse groups
of young people.
Our continued partnership with the Crystal Palace Foundation has
also seen outside of the Council and funding from the Sustainable
Communities team contribute towards the delivery of multi sports
sessions along with football coaching at various venues throughout
the year and during holiday schemes.
Family Lives - Education Health and Care Plan support
We were approached as a project early last year by Family Lives charity in Croydon.
They wished to meet as many parents as possible to offer support around the
changeover to EHCP’s. We were able to offer a suitable space and time in all of our
youth clubs so parents could come and get independent advice and support at a
time that was convenient for them.
Croydon Drop In
This service is accessible, confidential, independent, safe and flexible for young
people seeking free support and counselling. They have offered services to our
various projects and supported one of our young people through 1:1 counselling
sessions.
Our own in house “Me, Myself and I” small group work programmes also offer young
people a chance to work with staff, often in young men or young women groups only
to discuss such things as sex and relationships, drug and alcohol use, social media
and life choices. These sessions support young people’s development and give them
coping mechanisms when dealing with adolescence and transitions into adulthood.
Arts
Arts and music programmes are crucial to our delivery. We work with our internal
partners within the Early Intervention Team along with Club Soda and Mousetrap
Theatre to produce positive and creative outcomes for our young people.
Family work
Working with our parents and creating family learning is fundamental to our delivery.
This year we entered our first joint two family team into the borough’s Family Safety
Challenge competition. This saw them undertake training in First Aid and Fire Safety
before pitching their skills against other multigenerational teams from around
Croydon.
Employment partners
Our partners at Remploy and Delrose Earle Training work with our older groups
during sessions to offer support around individual action plans for career aspirations,
access to courses or apprenticeships. This gives our 18-25 year olds members a
transition and pathway leading up to them leaving our project and continuing their
journey into adulthood.
Offsite trips into the community
Supporting our young people and adults to access things in the community is a
regular part of our offer. The aim is to give them the experiences and knowledge to
move forward and become socially independent within the borough of Croydon once
they move on from the youth project. Outings include Adventure and Forest School
activities at local woodlands, Club Soda and Soda Beat events, nights out at the
local pub for meals and quiz nights and just recently the 18-25 year old group’s first
visit to Box Park in Croydon.
Outcomes
Outcomes for our young people are very constructive and we push and challenge our
young people in a positive way so that they may progress as individuals within society.
Outcomes include but are not limited to:
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Increased confidence
Improved communication skills
Improved participation in physical activity
Improved ability in developing and sustaining personal relationships
Increased awareness in wellbeing, healthy lifestyles and personal hygiene
Increased awareness in healthy diets
Improved ability in independent life skills
Increased awareness in internet and social networking safety
For information about the project please contact [email protected] or on
07990790183