AGENDA ITEM

11

Integrated Youth Support Team East

Summer 2011

Bedford Kempston Outdoor Centre

Integrated Youth Service (IYS) East team organised a day trip to Bedford Kempston Outdoor Centre on the 3rd August 2011. The East team organised Bedford Outdoor Centre to promote social cohesion, and to educate young peoples to challenge their fears. The aim of the activity was to encourage young people to build new positive relationships with young people from different ethnic backgrounds, and different postcode areas, and to enhance positive relationships amongst each other. A group of 12 young people from the East area took part in the activity.

The half day challenging activities included High Rope courses, team initiative games, and discussion on what community cohesion means to them.

The trip was a great day out for young people, they enjoyed participating in the adventurous activities, and for some it was a challenge to overcome their fears. Not only did young people face learning new things, they also developed new relationship with young people from different areas.

Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, London

12 young people participated in a 2 hour drama workshop on the theme of Community Cohesion at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London which included a back stage tour. The workshop was run by professional artists where they discovered what goes on back stage including technical equipment, lighting and set work. The workshop themes included - Community Cohesion, Culture- involving stereo types, Friendship - Group dynamics – i.e. Gang Culture and Interest groups. Young people explored these themes through mime, movement and language

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This project also gave the young people an opportunity to visit a live and a very initiative theatre in London.

Diverse FM

As part of our summer programme theme “community cohesion”, we bought young people together to take part in a one day workshop at Diverse FM Community Radio station. This project was delivered twice over the summer. One was targeted specifically for NEET (not in education, employment or training) young people. Young people had the opportunity to learn about broadcasting rules and responsibilities, use of operational equipment, interviewing techniques, programme production, and how to plan and present a programme.

The young people were also able to learn about the importance of community radio and the impact it has within the community.

Each young person also gained an AQA accreditation.

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Wembley Stadium

A group of young people from across the East of visited Wembley Stadium. This included a tour of the ground and behind the scenes, including the dressing rooms and press room. The young people also learnt about the history of the site and how the new stadium was constructed.

Quasar Laser

This project was for young people to have fun, whilst learning about the issues of crime with weapons that incorporated the postcode issues within the town and other areas of the country. Most of these issue were portrayed in the media

11/3 especially London and have involved young people. Within the sessions young people focused on using their wits, stealth and strategy whilst working in a team. Zumba Dance

This activity was a way for young people to keep fit, let go and loose all inhibitions about their bodies. They also learn about the different cultural mix of dance which included Salsa, samba, Flamenco, line dancing and the odd bit of aerobics, and related to the diversity of their own area/town. This was a way of bringing different cultures together and promoting community cohesion.

Freedom Wings at Cranfield Flying School

Freedom in the Air worked in partnership with FOBE (Friends of Bright Eyes), and organised a flying day for disabled young people on the 8th August 2011. Freedom in the Air hosted an introduction to Aviation day from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. This event was also supported by IYS East, who provided alternative diverse activities for young people from the L-town bus. Young people also did creative arts and crafts, computer games, internet exploring, and group discussion on air crafts on the mobile youth bus.

30 young aged 9-19 were invited to learn how to pilot a plane, the young people all had some form of disability and were accompanied by the carers and youth workers. All young people were given a safety briefing, and on ‘how aeroplanes work’, and then all enjoyed the experience of a short half hour flight. The event gave young people their first experience of flight in a light aircraft. Young people really enjoyed the fantastic flying experience, and enjoyed the freedom of controlling in the air; they also enjoyed the opportunity to discover a different perspective on the world from the skies it was hugely exciting to the young people.

Great Yarmouth

As part of the theme community cohesion, for young people be able to develop their life skills, whilst being away from their known area and environment. Young people learning about being responsible for themselves and others within their groups, learning communication skills, to navigate around the streets to find meeting points, coach stop, and local sights. The young people were also teamed up with other new young people from other areas to break down barriers of postcodes.

Jarman Park

As part of the summer project, Jarman Park was organised for the East young people. The activity included swimming & ice skating, young people were able to do both activities.

11/4 The aim of the trips was to target young people from Hart Lane & Area. As young people from both areas have shown concern of prejudice and lack of community cohesion. The trip targeted young people from these areas and encouraged a sense of diversity and gave young people the opportunity to build relationships. They had the opportunity to work with diverse young people.

Cultural Mystery Tour

A cultural mystery tour trip was organised, the trip included a tour to Camden in London, where young people visited sites of different cultural holy temples (Church, Mosque, Synagogue etc). Young people had the opportunity to experience a cultural understanding of diverse communities, and also be given a chance to have a dialogue with the different religions priest. This gave young people the opportunity to learn about each culture and religion, and also challenge their pre-assumptions, and increase young people’s knowledge about different faiths.

The main aim of this trip was to widen young people’s horizons and encourage harmony, to build positive relationship with their neighbours, and diverse members of the community.

Drama Workshop

We worked in partnership with Stage Coach Charitable Trust and developed a 5 week drama workshop project for young people with disabilities. The project ran on a Monday afternoon and the young people were involved in dance, drama and singing. Parents were invited on the final day to see a performance of the young peoples work.

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Willen Lake

A group of young people took part in water activities, Sailing, kayaking. This was an introduction to water sports and we will be looking to develop this project further over the next year. The young people come from the NEET (not in education, employment or training) group and Looked after Children. This was a new experience for them meeting new people and work to support other linking to community cohesion and development of skills.

Other projects included: Go-Karting, Maize – Maze, Mobile bus graffiti project and Youth Club was open developing a media and Community Cohesion project.

Putteridge Youth Club

School Based Health Service (taster sessions)

During May, within the lunchtime sessions and drop in after school around 25 young people attended. We looked at family values and problems, and how the young person could be more aware and sensitive, rather than sounding off. We did sessions around how they saw themselves within the family and how to manage their own anger when dealing with a family confrontation. Jackie Moore, Head of Centre, Level 2 Smoking Advisor did some sessions around the dangers and used a carbon monoxide tester. She also showed the young people ‘Tar in the Jar’, which shows what they are digesting into their system. Two young people will be signing up to the Luton Stop Smoking Service, as they tested very

11/6 high for nicotine and wanted to give up smoking. They also took information to their parents, so they could support each other.

Fire Service Visit

A crew from Stopsley Fire Station attended with a Pump and the girls were shown around the pump. They learnt about all the different functions from fighting fires, water rescues, chemical incidents and road traffic accidents. The girls were able to try on some of the protective clothing and sit inside the pump. The crew talked to the young people about different aspects of fire safety and what they would do if there was afire in their home. The young people were also encouraged to ask lots of questions. The most fun was had when they were able to use the hose and everyone got very wet.

Deaf Awareness Communication Skills – Makaton

The girls participated in a small workshop on Makaton. They learnt some of the basic signs and symbols, and tried to communicate using these signs. The Girls also made written sentences using the symbols and also began drawing symbols for items within the Youth Club. Some of the other young people put on ear phones and got their friends to sign to them, to see if they understood by writing the answer. The feedback was that they found was quite hard to understand, as they had to keep eye contact and were mainly trying to read lips.

Community History Project

The young people took part in the planning, to decide on what was to be researched and by whom. They were looking at the make up of the area, taking an interest in learning about their local community and how it looked back in the day. The young people would be interviewing people, finding out the history of

11/7 the school, museum visits, , history of , parks and other local points of interest. The young people researched on the internet, obtained information from their grand parents, parents, other relatives and people who had been in the community for a long while. The young people visited the local museum and obtain literature and photographic evidence of what Stopsley was all about. They also went to Putteridge bury, and the Discovery Centre and gained valuable information regarding the area. The young people are now in the process of collating their findings to produce a Graffiti Roll which will include the photos and their own views.

Area Based Work

Healthy Nutrition

This was a 4 weeks project delivered to young people from Shining Stars youth group. The project was based on a series of workshop on health. Young people were involved in the interactive activities; they did group quizzes, games, and designed their own lunch boxes. The idea of the project was that young people did various workshops which emphasised the health complications that can arise around unhealthy eating, and how it can affect their health especially in the areas of nutrition and physical activity. The workshops enhanced young people’s knowledge around health and made them become more aware and think critically about how eating unhealthy can affect nutrition and physical choices. Young people build the skills to make good decisions about being physical active and eating nutritiously in daily life. The project encouraged young people to establish healthy habits that will last into adulthood.

Healthy Lifestyles

This project was a 5 weeks programme delivered to young people from Yeovil Road. The project aimed to raise awareness of the implications of lifestyles factors in relation to health and wellbeing. Young people participated in different themed workshops which focused on smoking and tobacco, drugs and alcohol and physical activity. Young people were encouraged through group work to design healthy lifestyles themed banner for young people and the community. Young people who took part in the project became more aware of the most common health issues young people are being affected by these days, and also became more alert of the effects of not taking their healthy seriously at young age, and how it can cause issues in their adult life’s. Young people were shocked to find out the statistics, and how the different substances affect their physical and mental abilities.

‘I started smoking at the age of 10, and now 1 am 16 and I smoke 20 cigarettes a day. I was really shocked to see the tar jar, and it frightens me to think that my heart is covered in black tar…..’ (young person statement)

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School Based Health Service (SBHS)

A new provision that has been offered to one session a week on a Wednesday. The project is delivered on the L Town Bus, and it is a drop in service for young people, where they can access a variety of health information. The SBHS has been given a new name by a young person form Stopsley, it is now called ‘Real Talk’. Real Talk gives young people a safe space where they can talk to youth workers and specialist staff about any issues they have, or generally require information on health & wellbeing. The drop in has currently delivered workshops on sexual health, drugs & alcohol, Chlamydia screening etc. Young people have had workshops delivered to them by youth workers and specialist agency staff. Young people are provided with a service they could trust and are happy to attend, which encourages them to take an active and responsible role in their own health and wellbeing. In the long term this allows young people to develop the skills to make informed decisions about their own lifestyles choices, which affect them throughout their life.

Autism raising awareness

This was a short project highlighting and celebrating Autism awareness month. Young people from Shining Stars Youth Club did group activities, where they designed Autism ribbons, and did a display board of raising awareness of autism. This was very interesting for some young people as it helped them understand and learn more about each others conditions, and made them more aware of people who suffer from autism.

Short Film

Young people from Yeovil road had taken part in directing, and producing a short film based on bullying. The film has been filmed by jam Rock Company, who supported young people to learn about making a short production. The film is based on bullying, how young people feel pressured into bullies, and highlights the impact of bulling has on the victim. It’s a short film scripted and produced by young people, who feel that bullying issues need to be addressed in their local community. The film will be showcased in their schools, and hopes to get the message across young people that bullying should stop. This was an exciting and innovative project for young people, as they were given important roles of directing, and producing the film. All young people who participated in the film really enjoyed the making of it, and showed significant interest in producing other issues based short films that they can showcase in their local communities.

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Young Voice

The young voice group in the East has been busy designing and helping to put together, the Jigsaw puzzle the idea of the Jigsaw is a portable game which can be taken to other youth provisions the game encourages young people to find out about different things around the history of youth work, on the same side is a game of snakes and ladders so a fun eliminate it should be complete very soon.

Unfortunately the group has not been very active over the last few months due to Exams and Work experience commitments, but hopefully we can get together now summer is over and re establish the group with fresh eyes.

Over the next few months we will be doing a re-launch of the East Team Young Voice to encourage other young people to join, we already have a couple of Looked after children interested but are hoping to expand our choices within the area. Currently the group is made up of 6 young people from who are very dedicated to the group; however we need to try to make the group more diverse and inject some fresh ideas for the forthcoming months.

Personal Advisors.

From April 2011 the PA’s delivered the new core service to schools in the East, this specifically targets those young people at risk. Personal Advisors have worked on a case load within schools and have developed accredited courses for the young people.

They have worked intensely with their case load of NEET young people, engaging young people and offering advice and guidance. They attended GCSE results day to support young people and offer advice on alternate post 16 options where necessary.

Mobile Bus Provision.

The mobile bus provision has continued to be deployed borough wide and played a key role in offering diversionary activities and distributed the “consequence cards” to young people during the recent period of unrest

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