I started my placement at YG in November 2014, working with Greg and the Prince’s Trust Team 171. I was so nervous when I first started because many of the Team were actually older than me, and I felt like I wouldn’t be accepted or respected. This wasn’t the case, as the young people turned out to be even more anxious than me! (However this soon changed when they found their feet!). I learnt how to build productive working relationships with staff and young people, which really helped me because it meant that I was then able to transfer my skills when working with young people other than my Team.

I really enjoyed residential, even though there were a few mishaps with cooking, and I didn’t wake up one night when the Team were being particularly loud! But I felt that I learnt a lot from this week too, especially about how to act in a professional way even though it was so cold, because it was important to keep the Team’s morale high and to keep them going.

Young Gloucestershire has been really supportive in my studies as well, and even though I went home for Christmas, when I came back I was able to get back into the routine of placement very quickly. This was important for me because it meant that I could get back to enjoying my time, working with young people.

I am now assisting on the HITZ programme with Gary which I also relish the challenge of, as it is a more sports based programme and I am not at all sporty! I was able to deliver a session on Values and Beliefs, which I got some great feedback from.

Working at YG has shown me that working with young people is what I really want to do, so thank you to everyone working for all their support and understanding!

Starting in April 2015, an exciting new opportunity has been created, with Stonehouse and Cainscross Youth Clubs working in partnership to continue to offer youth club provisions by Young Gloucestershire. Both youth clubs are keen to develop and continue to support young people between the ages of 11 and 18 years of age, increasing youth club nights of delivery to three sessions at each location. Stonehouse and Cainscross Parish Councils are unique and very lucky as they have some incredible Councillors who are totally committed to the young people in their communities and tirelessly campaign and fundraise for the projects.

In February we had to say our goodbyes to our lovely Laura (travelling in Australia for a year – alright for some!), who has been the Lead Youth Worker at both Stonehouse and Cainscross Youth Clubs for the past two and half years building great relationships and producing some excellent results. Every cloud has a silver lining; the wonderful Lucy has taken on the role of Lead Youth Worker, with support from marvellous Matt and awesome Amy who are keen to build on the work and legacy that Laura has accomplished, both with the local community and the young people who attend the youth club.

There are plenty of exciting times coming up at Stonehouse and Cainscross Youth Clubs, with summer knocking at our door ready for BBQ’s, sport and outdoor activities as well as offering support with revision and coursework for those who are doing their GCSE’s and A Level’s.

So come along and meet the friendly team of Youth Workers!

Stonehouse Youth Club is located at the new youth building at Oldends Lane, open on a Tuesday 7.30pm – 9.30pm, Thursday 5pm – 7pm and Friday 7.30pm – 9.30pm.

Cainscross Youth Club is located at Victory Park Pavilion, open on a Tuesday 5pm – 7pm, Thursday 7.30pm – 9.30pm and Friday 5pm – 7pm.

April….showers, chocolate, bank holidays, oh, and the end of the financial year!

April signifies lots of things for lots of people, but it is also a huge milestone in most people’s financial calendars. It’s the time of year when businesses and charities need to tie up loose ends, do lots of sums and recount for their activity over the last year.

Alongside all the sums and money stuff, it is also a time of year that we reflect on what we have achieved. In my role as Marketing and Fundraising Executive I produce YG’s Annual Review. This document brings together statistical information about what we have done over the year with stories about real people we have worked with and the successes they have had.

It’s a challenging and fulfilling document to work on. For me the statistics prove really interesting and allow us to make clear comparisons year on year. But it is the stories from young people that really grab my attention. While preparing for the document I get to go out and visit young people, either on their YG programmes, during their work experience or even a few months later when they have finished with YG and are working somewhere. I really enjoy the chance to meet young people and hear about their experience of working with YG. No two stories are the same. Each young person comes to us with their own set of challenges and are at different points in their journey. But what inspires me every time is their enthusiasm and determination to succeed no matter what.

Sometimes it is easy to get lost amongst the big picture, the finances and figures. Every now and again it is helpful to listen to the individual stories of young people, to hear how far they have come and how they have been supported to get there. For me these stories help show the true value of the charity and certainly make me feel proud to be part of an organisation that support these kind if achievements.

The latest copy of the Annual Review will be available in early summer. If you would like to receive a copy you can contact us at hello@youngglos.org.uk or you will be able to download a copy from the website.

It has been a whirlwind first couple of weeks at YG; lots of training and information to take in to prepare me for my first Prince’s Trust Team.

The YG team have been nothing but inviting, full of advice and encouragement, which makes a new job so much easier. I’ve been lucky enough to follow a bit of the beginning, midway point and end of the current Team Programme’s running.

A highlight of my first few weeks is being able to attend the final week’s celebration of Greg’s team and seeing their achievements. The programme has got me excited to bring my own stamp to my first team here at YG.

Since the start of Jan 2015 we have had lots of exciting things happening in SOSYP (South of Stroud Youth Partnership).  Our biggest change this term has been the opening and delivery taking place at Dursley’s brand spanking new youth centre, VIBE.  A purpose built, vibrant, safe place for young people to go so they can access information, advice and guidance in Dursley.  The youth centre is a partnership with the Town Council and other delivery partners such as The Tabernacle Church, The Door, Rednock School, ConnectAT and hopefully more community groups soon.  The centre has been used already by over 50 young people and the numbers keep growing.  We are running an open session on a Monday from 6.30-8.30pm and a café style session on Thursdays from 3.30-5.30pm.

Elsewhere within the project we have been continuing to support young people in Wotton, Berkeley & Cam, and over Half Term we run a sports Leadership Course, First Aid & Food Hygiene course which were all well received by those who attended.

This coming term we are developing a garden & building project at Vibe, just in time for the nice summer weather and we are planning loads of informative and fun sessions such as cooking, cyber safety and Easter activities.  Call Vix Thomas on 07969 955419 to find out what is going on in your area.

At Young Gloucestershire, we are all excited about the opportunity in delivering NCS – National Citizen Service – during spring-summer and autumn to over 300 young people. This will be the 3rd year that Young Gloucestershire has been involved in this amazing project and the recruitment is well under way with presentations at school assemblies.

National Citizen Service (NCS) is open to all 16 and 17-year-olds in England.

It helps you build your skills for work and life, while you take on new challenges and meet new friends.

It runs in the spring, summer and autumn. You’ll have a short time away from home and take part in a team project that will help your community.

NCS brings together young people from different backgrounds and helps them develop greater confidence, self-awareness and responsibility. It encourages personal and social development by working on skills such as leadership, teamwork and communication.

Participants develop a social action project to deal with a local issue they’re passionate about, and spend 30 hours putting the project into action in their community.

Would you like to take part on NCS?

If you’re 16 or 17 and have not taken part on NCS before then why don’t you get in touch with the NCS Team on 01452 501008 or by email at ncs@youngglos.org.uk.

Find out more information at www.youngglos.org.uk/ncs/.

This year is going to be amazing so why don’t you ‘SAY YES to NCS’.

In early 2014 we had a crazy idea that we might do the three peaks challenge. This involved walking three mountains in less than three days. We made some plans and started organising for a mini bus to undertake the challenge. Little did we know that there would be so much interest that we would be taking three mini buses and people carriers and 29 people would complete the challenge. We raised over £14,000 which has been put to use supporting young people who are facing challenges in their lives.

We decided it was time for a new challenge and this time we would stay closer to home, so we are taking on the Cheltenham Challenge. In one quick email to the staff and trustees, we already have ten sign ups with people doing a mixture of running and walking and a range of distances.

What is so good with this event is you can do anything from a 5k run or walk to an ultra-marathon which is 78k. So I spent the weekend investing in a new pair of running trainers. Apparently they are only good for 500 miles and my last pair are over five years old so they have now been replaced with a fetching green pair. I then proceeded to pound the pavements and began my training. I was pleased to turn up in the office on Monday morning to hear that others had also had a go at ‘very slow jogging’ over the weekend.

It seems that running mania may be taking over in the Young Gloucestershire building and a group of YG runners are starting to prepare for the challenge of 2015. So are you new to running or an experienced runner? Do you want to join our 10k walking team? Are you passionate about YG? Then why not get in touch and add your name to the growing list of people setting out on Young Gloucestershire’s 2015 challenge in Cheltenham.

To register your interest, please email: tracy.clark@youngglos.org.uk.

My journey at YG started 4 years ago, as a nervous University student, in my first year of my Youth Work degree.

I met Tracy at the University on a recruitment drive for volunteers for the NCS programme, shortly after I met Kay who interviewed me; I was delighted to join YG on delivering the first NCS programme. That summer was a great introduction to the organisation, a whirlwind of working with teams of young people, going out on activities that not only challenged the young people but myself too, spending hours driving young people to the countryside on residential trips. Somewhere between the coasteering, learning to hula hoop and building my confidence in working with young people I knew I wanted to keep this up.

At the end of the summer, Kay encouraged me to apply for a programme leader’s job delivering a new sports course at YG. I was successful in my application and started soon after. 18 months later, having nearly completed my degree (with a few tears along the way…) I had completed work on 20 Sporting Chances projects with over  150 young people, supporting them to re-engage with education, employment and training. There are too many laughs and treasured memories from this project, but a couple that stand out in my memory is being in sub-zero temperatures with Niki Clarke in the Forest of Dean on the side of a rock face, trying to scramble our way to the top of a very muddy slope after a very long few days, as well as to locking Tom Saunders out of the Youth Hostel in the middle of the night and falling fast asleep!

Shortly after completing my degree and achieving a great result, thanks to a whole world of support and encouragement from line managers, mentors and colleagues, I joined the Youth Work Team to deliver the Skills for Adolescence course in schools across the county and to work in two local youth clubs – Stonehouse and Cainscross.

The work in schools provided me with a great opportunity to work with other organisations such as Ambition and meet other workers from across the country. I was able to gain some valuable skills in delivering a curriculum based personal education programme in a class room environment alongside some excellent teachers.

But the youth clubs is where I really found my feet; I loved this work and feel immensely proud of what was achieved. Stonehouse Youth Club was being run out of the back of a Youth Bus, with limited space and resources we would be there come rain or snow with a hot chocolate and a listening ear, while we waited patiently for a new purpose built youth club in Stonehouse and for access and enough young people to attend the Pavilion in Victory Park – Cainscross too, was not much more than a detached project.

Stonehouse and Cainscross councils are unique and very lucky, they have some incredible councillors who are totally committed to young people who tirelessly campaign and fundraise for the projects.

At Stonehouse, this time last year we finally got our youth club! We had an amazing opening event and party in the park and since then the youth club has gone from strength to strength. The Victory Park Pavilion too had a great make over, a new sign to go above the door – that was a proud moment and a great deal of support from local funders for trips, activities and resources. We have great relationships with the young people in these areas and have worked so hard to provide them with quality and consistency. Developing these projects has given me a great deal of job satisfaction and taught me a great deal.

I am pleased to say that the development work at Cainscross and Stonehouse continues, the nights of delivery are increasing to 3 nights a week and lots of great plans for the summer are in the pipe line. But for me it is time to move on to pastures new. I am packing my back pack and heading to Australia for a year. I plan to travel initially and then carry out 2, 6 month placements at youth work organisations down under. I hope that this experience will inspire me further for the next chapter of my youth work journey.

It has been an incredible 4 years, not to mention the small matter of climbing 3 mountains, raising a whole load of money for youth work services with a bunch of work mates, all I can say is a huge THANKS to everyone at YG, the Schools and Local Councils for challenging me every step of the way. I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone and their projects via social media. Good luck and all the best for 2015!

The silence following the completion of Team 170 has been deafening. They were my first Prince’s Trust Team and while we did have our low moments during those 12 weeks, they were vastly outweighed by the positive ones.

The 12 young people, who completed the course at the end of January, were a lively, savvy and committed bunch who impressed me so much, especially when it came to challenges like their Community Project and Final Team Challenge.  They were never short of ideas, sometimes of the slightly ridiculous or impractical variety, and never short of stories which would leave the rest of the Team in a state of utter disbelief and hysterics.

A highlight for me as the Team Leader was the community project. I was so impressed with their Dunkirk spirit, facing a difficult task given the size and state of the garden project they had taken on and difficult conditions as the wet weather turned parts of the garden into swamps. Our improvised duckboards even started disappearing into the mud at points. Despite all this, the Team stuck to the task at hand, completed every aspect of the plan they had intended to and finished the 2 weeks having transformed an inaccessible bramble patch into an attractive and usable space for the residents of the supported housing centre.

The Team concluded their journey with a celebration event at the Gloucester Chinese Resource Centre. This was well attended by the Team members’ family, support workers and friends who joined the Team in celebrating their achievements.  For some, including myself, this was an emotional occasion. There was laughter and tears but no one left the room without recognising that a huge amount had been achieved, boundaries had been stretched and that those 12 individuals had become 1 Team.

So after a few weeks of marking folders and recruiting, I am ready for my next challenge – Team 173. I feel considerably more prepared for what the next 12 weeks will bring and I am excited about the new young people I have met over the last couple of weeks. I have seen a lot of potential and met young people brimming with ambition, looking for a kick start to their next steps. While Team 170 will be tough to replace and will always hold a special place for me as my first Team, I am feeling really positive about Team 173 and our upcoming ventures.

My fifth team has started and it definitely came as a surprise for me. I’d just come back from four weeks in Australia, walked through the front door on Monday to be greeted by Tom, who informed me that my team was starting on Tuesday….definitely brought me back down to earth with a bang.

The first week was all a bit of a blur, running off very little sleep was a challenge. Luckily the team were amazing and took part in every activity. It was great to see them go from not talking to each other in the first hour, to being practically inseparable by the end of day one and every day since.

Residential is something that every team is really excited about. We got the opportunity to be guinea pigs at a new centre and the young people had an amazing time. They were able to pick what activities they did each day and what time they wanted the instructors to turn up in the morning. This gave them real control and ownership of how their week was going to pan out. Everyone took part in the challenges they had set and overcame fears. A couple of the young people were adamant that they weren’t going to go rock climbing, but as soon as they were set the challenge of climbing the equivalent of Big Ben, The Statue of Liberty and The Empire State Building, they were practically running up and down the walls.

The past couple of weeks have seen the team planning and preparing for their Community Project at The White House next week, where they will be renovating their gardens so that they can be used by the residents. They’ve started raising money to complete the project and on Friday they spent the day in Eastgate Shopping Centre, where they rowed 21miles, from Dover to Calais and they are planning on completing a sponsored rock climb, climbing the equivalent of the Burj Khalifa (828m) this week. They are really excited and positive about the work they want to complete. I’ve never had a team that were actually excited about doing gardening in the middle of February.

Hearing some of the young people make comments about how close they had all become over the past three weeks was really sweet. Having a team that all get on really well is rare sometimes and having the opportunity to work with them is a real pleasure. I’m really looking forward to the next 8 weeks with Team 172 and getting the chance to help them to realise and achieve their potential.

It has been particularly busy of late so I thought I would take a breather and reflect on a day in the life of a CEO to give you an idea of what sort of things I get up to:

Today started with some preparation for a meeting I have later today with the Commercial Group. We are looking at creating work opportunities for young people with training attached. It’s an innovative project and will give some real opportunities to young people in Gloucestershire.

Second on the agenda today was meeting with a potential new trustee. YG has seven dedicated trustees with a range of skillsets and knowledge including: commercial, HR, property, youth work and legal. We, however. currently have a gap in knowledge around post 16 education and are seeking to welcome another trustee. I am hopeful after today’s meeting we might have found the right person.

Next on the agenda for the day is a good part of the job and that is to confirm appointments to Young Gloucestershire. We have recently secured new work to deliver NCS; this is a programme designed to encourage 16 and 17 years olds to get involved in social action in their communities. Young Gloucestershire will be working with 255 young people this summer on this programme. We have therefore been recruiting new programme leaders to work on this and our other development programmes such as Prince’s Trust Team.  We will be recruiting for an administrator for this project later on in the week also.

There was just time to grab some lunch before my meeting with Commercial Group. We spent the afternoon exploring options and opportunities. We are planning a focus group with young people to test our ideas and creating a proposal to present next week for the project.

That left just enough time to check in with the team who had delivered the NCS presentation’s in local schools this morning to see how it went.

I think it is hard to say what is an average day in the life of a CEO but what it always involves is young people, YG staff members, partners and agencies and money. A lot of my time is spent looking at the future and what is next for YG and I am currently excited by some of the projects that we are starting to explore developing with other organisations. Watch this space for more information…

Last month The Link celebrated its 2nd year of successfully working with 16-25 years olds, supporting them to get back into education, employment or training. What better way to celebrate than with a birthday party!

It was a great opportunity for existing partner organisations to come along and share in our successes. Also for those organisations not already involved with The Link, to see what we do and how they can work with us in the future. Some new partnerships were formed and future projects set in motion.

It was good to see so many faces at the party. It was especially nice to see some of the young people we have helped over the last two years. It was a nice surprise to welcome BBC Radio Gloucestershire who came along to speak to the young people. They shared how The Link has helped them, I was proud when I heard the broadcast on the radio the next day.

There was also an opportunity to showcase how we help and support young people. We were able to show everyone who came along how much The Link has changed over the last two years. These changes include us now working with the Big Lottery Fund and new building work. We have recently had the back rooms of The Link and the kitchen developed. This allows more space for us to support the young people.

I am looking forward to another successful year of working with young people, to help them to achieve their goals!!!