Staple Hill You Foundation

Giving opportunity to the local youth of today!

At Wishy, we want to understand more about what charities can offer and how we and the public can support them. We sat down with Rob at YOU Foundation to find out more about how youth projects can offer positive support to young people in communities.

What are Youth Clubs?

Rob explained that youth projects over the decades have been centred around what young people want and what young people need.

Over time what young people need has not really changed. It is proven that they need to have a safe space where they can explore their personalities and interests with support from responsible adults. This allows young people to find out who they are, what they are capable of and what they are good at. It is important for them to discover these things independently and for themselves. It also provides young people with a space away from homes and schools where they can be comfortable and meet like-minded peers, forming healthy relationships outside of their day to day lives. Furthermore, young people need an unbiased ear to be able to talk and confide in safely. Although there is a wealth of information available today thanks to the introduction of the internet in the late 90s and an increase in television channels and content, it can be a minefield to understand what is being presented and young people can also be influenced by unsafe or incorrect information or have further questions that need answering. During times of crisis a youth project can facilitate these needs. For example, in the past there has been the need for a responsible sexual health project in the area and they were able to provide a registered nurse to run a clinic at their facility. The needs of young people often ebb, and flow and a more recent concern is drugs. It may be that there is a new drug that is trendy, and young people are curious. Projects can be made to educate young people on these matters and provide help and support. YOU Foundation adapts to what is prevalent at the time and provide what is needed to support issues in the community.

When it comes to what young people want, you must consider that the world has become a lot more niche and what young people want has changed with the introduction of the Internet. There is more opportunity for the youth to explore their different interests without the need for youth projects to provide this. During the last 15 years more generic youth work has specifically been provided by way of a universal space for people to hang out, socialise, talk and get information and share ideas. Whereas the young people are now looking for more specific activities to take part in focussing on what they want to do rather than just generalised space. Quite often young people do not have the funds to take part in private paid for clubs and are unable to explore their ideas and interests further. Youth projects provide that opportunity.

It is important to note that youth work is much more than whipping a pack of cards out or kicking a football around. These are just the resources that help. There is a deeper sense of meaning and understanding to the profession than some may realise. It is about having time for that young person and listening to them but not persuading them by our own thoughts and feelings. Learning to support them holistically by creating positive learning experiences and allowing them to create their own identity in our world, by giving them the voice and recognition they deserve. We somewhat try to embed ourselves in their lives so we can try to gain an insight into what life is like through their lens. This allows us to understand some of the inequalities and challenges they face and helps us to improve social mobility.

We are human, we make mistakes, we reflect, we learn, we grow, however working with the young people that we do only makes our job much more rewarding and worthy. Yes, it may be utter chaos at times and no two days will be the same!

In a time with increasing mental health issues, I think what many of us underestimate is the power of our attention. To be truly listened to is so overwhelmingly powerful. Think about the last time you felt like that. When you were listened to, understood. I would hazard a guess that you remember it with fondness, that it made you feel good, valued. Listening without agenda or the need to reply with an opinion, is a wonderful thing. You do not need to have the answers; you need to let someone find their own.

Unfortunately, in today’s busy world having or giving attention can be hard to come by. We are busy, we are distracted, and we are surrounded by stimulus vying for our attention. Youth workers can at least try. When we stop, we notice. We notice subtle changes in our young people. Then we ask the question and listen. ‘How are you feeling?’ and if the answer is ‘fine’, we maybe ask again. Through resources and activities, we can provide a comfortable and engaging space that allows these questions to be asked and for young people to feel able to respond.

What activities are available at YOU Foundation?

There is a drop in project called Freefall with the strap line ‘Free 4 All’ which is a summer club project which involves activities in the local park three times a week during the holidays. They are essentially taster sessions of activities including graffiti art, T shirt printing and slackline walking. They have different activities each day to see what the kids like and if its popular they can include it in the youth centre as a fixed feature. It also helps to engage new young people into the centre. This project has been on offer for seven consecutive years where funding has allowed although during Covid-19 it was not possible. “It has been a huge success and we are very proud of it”. Also, the young people wanted to create their own music, but they did not have access to the proper equipment and could not afford to hire facilities. The idea of the music studio was born! YOU Foundation sought out funding and were able to make a permanent facility available as part of their project. The most recent activity available at YOU Foundation is an indoor/outdoor skate school with plans to employ coaches. YOU Foundation have created an indoor and outdoor space to skateboard, rollerblade and scoot whatever the weather. This has been developed with ideas and designs by local young people to meet their wants and needs.

What has been your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenges for youth projects have always been the same and that is funding. Everything else is easy in comparison to that. There used to be around 30 youth clubs available in the South Gloucestershire district whereas now there are probably only about 6 that are officially supported by the council budgets. There are of course independent youth groups that work in communities offering support and activities to young people, but they are different. To increase funding at YOU Foundation, they can use the building by renting out the space to independent activity groups such as jujitsu clubs and the money made from hiring out is then invested back into the youth project.

How can the public help?

Wishy has provided a donation page with specific items that the public can donate to further support the YOU Foundation. Please see the attached links to see how you can contribute to a great cause.