There have been some significant changes over the last two months.
We are now running an after school club on Tuesdays for 11-14, 3-5 pm. We are launching this week a second after school club on Thursdays for 14-17, 3-5 pm. We also run other events as well as doing detached work.
Downham Methodist have started running coffee mornings for the project on Saturday mornings from 9.30-12. These include bring and buy, a book stall as well as cakes and refreshments. They have already raised over £500 for the project.
We have also had £1000 in one off personal donations from supporters and are hopeful if gaining some small grants. We are also starting to gain some regular supporters which really helps us to be able to plan ahead. These are all vital in keeping the project going as major grants have now finished.
For more information about events coming up check our calendar on the website.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The way ahead
There are significant challenges ahead but we are determined to make sure that there are positive opportuities for young people in Downham Market. Three of the major grants for the project come to an end this term, it has not roven possible to repace all of this large income for the project and so we are changing and moving in a new direction.
The work the project has been doing supporting young people in the High School will now come directly under the school as part of the new part time jobs that both Amy and Ben have working for the Behaviour Support team. This means they will have more opportunity to support young people and the project has less financial burdens for this part of the work.
Nurture is similarly changing and beoming part of the work of the Downham Market Sure Start Childrens Centre. The project will still have some input but the day to day running of the project will be part of the childrens centre work. We think this will be beneficial for young parents as the childrens centre is well placed to support them.
Our after schools youth cafe will continue on Tuesdays from 3 - 5pm and we hope to see a new influx of year 7's coming along in September. We will also be continuing to develop our Friday evenings, we will still have some regualr detached sessions but also space for running events for young people like the Disco/Karaoke's we have run over the last few months. We want this to be run in response to young people and the things they are interested in having happen.
Our latest Newsletter for the summer is out and can be downloaded from News tab on our website here. if you would like to receive updates on the project please email us and we will add you to our supporters list.
Ben
The work the project has been doing supporting young people in the High School will now come directly under the school as part of the new part time jobs that both Amy and Ben have working for the Behaviour Support team. This means they will have more opportunity to support young people and the project has less financial burdens for this part of the work.
Nurture is similarly changing and beoming part of the work of the Downham Market Sure Start Childrens Centre. The project will still have some input but the day to day running of the project will be part of the childrens centre work. We think this will be beneficial for young parents as the childrens centre is well placed to support them.
Our after schools youth cafe will continue on Tuesdays from 3 - 5pm and we hope to see a new influx of year 7's coming along in September. We will also be continuing to develop our Friday evenings, we will still have some regualr detached sessions but also space for running events for young people like the Disco/Karaoke's we have run over the last few months. We want this to be run in response to young people and the things they are interested in having happen.
Our latest Newsletter for the summer is out and can be downloaded from News tab on our website here. if you would like to receive updates on the project please email us and we will add you to our supporters list.
Ben
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
New projects for DYP
Since we last updated you on the work of DYP we have seen some significant changes in the project.
Work related learning
We are now working with the Work Related Learning Project which is run by the County Council's Youth Service team to deliver a program based on accrediting practical learning. This takes place on Thursdays from 8:30 - 3pm and Ben is working with the Youth Service to deliver the project. It is a great piece of work to be involved with and it is also bringing in some more funding to the project.
Lost and Found
Ben and Amy have now been trained to deliver the Lost and Found course which is designed to help small groups of young people deal positively with experiences of loss like bereavement and divorce. This will be something we will be looking to deliver in partnership with local schools.
Nurture
Nurture has also been relaunched with it now meeting every other week at the Youth Hut on Fridays from 1 to 2:30pm. Amy is also working with the Children's Centre (formerly Sure Start) at Clack Close to support young parents and build bridges for the project.
Work related learning
We are now working with the Work Related Learning Project which is run by the County Council's Youth Service team to deliver a program based on accrediting practical learning. This takes place on Thursdays from 8:30 - 3pm and Ben is working with the Youth Service to deliver the project. It is a great piece of work to be involved with and it is also bringing in some more funding to the project.
Lost and Found
Ben and Amy have now been trained to deliver the Lost and Found course which is designed to help small groups of young people deal positively with experiences of loss like bereavement and divorce. This will be something we will be looking to deliver in partnership with local schools.
Nurture
Nurture has also been relaunched with it now meeting every other week at the Youth Hut on Fridays from 1 to 2:30pm. Amy is also working with the Children's Centre (formerly Sure Start) at Clack Close to support young parents and build bridges for the project.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Looking forward!
Well a belated happy new year, hope you are had a great time over Christmas holidays with friends and family. It's now 2011 then so a good time to be thinking about the future and where we go from here.
Tough Times
Well I do think that 2011 could be a really significant year for the project and already there are early signs of growth to come. We are all facing tough times and some major changes seem to be ahead over the next few months. It seems that due to major budget cuts the face of youth work in Norfolk will be changing dramatically with seemingly total cuts in Youth Service provision from the County Council. However there may be new things that develop in this process and we are trying to go against the tide and push forward to do more for young people in our area!
Recycling
At DYP we are trying to look at different ways of raising support for the project so as well as applying for grants and seeking local supporters we are also doing some RECYCLING. We are encouraging people to bring along old mobile phones, CD's, DVD's and printer cartridges which we can then recycle to help the planet as well as gaining some financial support for the project. So if you do have some old mobiles cluttering the house or some CD's and DVD's your not sure why you bought we are happy to recycle them for you! Even mobiles that don't work can be recycled in the scheme. CD's and DVD's do need to come in their packing so we can scan the barcodes in order to recycle them.
Newsletter
We will also be producing a new newsletter in the next few weeks so watch this space, it will be downloadable from the website as the previous ones are (under the news tab), so do pass it on to people you think would be interested.
Well from all of us at the DYP we hope you all have a fantastic new year!
Tough Times
Well I do think that 2011 could be a really significant year for the project and already there are early signs of growth to come. We are all facing tough times and some major changes seem to be ahead over the next few months. It seems that due to major budget cuts the face of youth work in Norfolk will be changing dramatically with seemingly total cuts in Youth Service provision from the County Council. However there may be new things that develop in this process and we are trying to go against the tide and push forward to do more for young people in our area!
Recycling
At DYP we are trying to look at different ways of raising support for the project so as well as applying for grants and seeking local supporters we are also doing some RECYCLING. We are encouraging people to bring along old mobile phones, CD's, DVD's and printer cartridges which we can then recycle to help the planet as well as gaining some financial support for the project. So if you do have some old mobiles cluttering the house or some CD's and DVD's your not sure why you bought we are happy to recycle them for you! Even mobiles that don't work can be recycled in the scheme. CD's and DVD's do need to come in their packing so we can scan the barcodes in order to recycle them.
Newsletter
We will also be producing a new newsletter in the next few weeks so watch this space, it will be downloadable from the website as the previous ones are (under the news tab), so do pass it on to people you think would be interested.
Well from all of us at the DYP we hope you all have a fantastic new year!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Happy Christmas
Well it is the season again for remembering how God touched the world through the birth and life of Jesus. So from us at the Downham Youth Project we hope you enjoy this season spending time with family and friends and reflecting on Gods gift to us as we give to others.
The Youth Cafe's have been open now for nearly a month and it has been great to see young people coming into the building, using the equipment and having a good time. After a slow start the evening Youth Cafe's are really starting to build up and we had 13 young people (15-18) on Friday evening for the end of term party for the older young people. We have had about 20 different young people coming to the evening sessions with a solid core of about 8 who seem to come whenever they can.
The after school club has been solid with about 5 most sessions and we will be looking to advertise this more heavily in January doing some assemblies in the school. It has been good through to see new young people we have not worked with before coming in to the project and having a good time. I think the very cold weather has not helped with these younger ones, but hopefully we'll see some more new faces in January.
As a team it has been great this last couple of months now we know where we are to get stuck into doing some more youth work and we have seen an increase in the mentoring we are doing in school with us seeing 4 young people each week on a one to one basis giving support and encouraging them to reach their full potential.
We are planning the re-launch of the Nurture project as well in the new year and will keep you posted as to when that starts off again as a drop in for the young parents of Downham Market, giving them opportunity to support each other and take a breather from their busy lives with a cup of coffee and a listening ear.
We will be looking to do some more fund raising events after the success of the Summer Fayre in the new year and want to thank you in advance for your support with these. Wishing you all the best for the Christmas break.
Ben Hyde
The Youth Cafe's have been open now for nearly a month and it has been great to see young people coming into the building, using the equipment and having a good time. After a slow start the evening Youth Cafe's are really starting to build up and we had 13 young people (15-18) on Friday evening for the end of term party for the older young people. We have had about 20 different young people coming to the evening sessions with a solid core of about 8 who seem to come whenever they can.
The after school club has been solid with about 5 most sessions and we will be looking to advertise this more heavily in January doing some assemblies in the school. It has been good through to see new young people we have not worked with before coming in to the project and having a good time. I think the very cold weather has not helped with these younger ones, but hopefully we'll see some more new faces in January.
As a team it has been great this last couple of months now we know where we are to get stuck into doing some more youth work and we have seen an increase in the mentoring we are doing in school with us seeing 4 young people each week on a one to one basis giving support and encouraging them to reach their full potential.
We are planning the re-launch of the Nurture project as well in the new year and will keep you posted as to when that starts off again as a drop in for the young parents of Downham Market, giving them opportunity to support each other and take a breather from their busy lives with a cup of coffee and a listening ear.
We will be looking to do some more fund raising events after the success of the Summer Fayre in the new year and want to thank you in advance for your support with these. Wishing you all the best for the Christmas break.
Ben Hyde
Monday, November 29, 2010
Youth Cafe's OPEN!!!
We have been working hard and been trying to stay patient over the last couple of months getting ready to open up here at the Youth Hut and we have finally opened!!!
A few thank you's; firstly to the Town Council and the Methodist Church/Circuit for their continued support for the project. Thanks go to the Downham Market Youth Council for funding our lovely sofa's and fridge and thanks to MADAS for funding our new carpet and other small bits of furniture.
The building is now looking really good thanks to the hard work of the Community Payback team getting the whole place repainted.
So now we are open on Tuesdays from 3 - 5pm for young people aged 11 - 14's and on Thursday evenings for 14 - 18's from 7:30 - 9:30pm. We have a great internet suite up and running as well as a great pool table (donated by Methwold Methodist Church). We also have a great chill out area with our Wii and lots of other things to do as well.
So if you are aged between 11 and 18 come down and check the place out it is free to come in and use everything, we just charge for drinks and food. Check out our new poster and let everyone know we are ready and open for business!!!
A few thank you's; firstly to the Town Council and the Methodist Church/Circuit for their continued support for the project. Thanks go to the Downham Market Youth Council for funding our lovely sofa's and fridge and thanks to MADAS for funding our new carpet and other small bits of furniture.
The building is now looking really good thanks to the hard work of the Community Payback team getting the whole place repainted.
So now we are open on Tuesdays from 3 - 5pm for young people aged 11 - 14's and on Thursday evenings for 14 - 18's from 7:30 - 9:30pm. We have a great internet suite up and running as well as a great pool table (donated by Methwold Methodist Church). We also have a great chill out area with our Wii and lots of other things to do as well.
So if you are aged between 11 and 18 come down and check the place out it is free to come in and use everything, we just charge for drinks and food. Check out our new poster and let everyone know we are ready and open for business!!!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Rock school, summer fayre and other highlights!
The summer has been fairly quiet as both Nicky and then Paul moved on from the project and we moved buildings and are refurbishing the building so we can open but here are some highlights of what we have been upto.
Rock School
In the middle of August Ben and Paul went to Holt Hall to help the County Council run a residential week. The week was a rock school and there was professional tuition and the week ended with a concert where they performed songs they had written themselves as well as a Kings of Leon song.
Summer Fayre
At the end of August we had a Summer Fayre at the Downham Market Methodist Church. It was an excellent event with lots of games, stalls and support from local shops and the community as a whole. Through the event including donations from the Lions and Lionesses we raised just under £500.
Building Refurb
The last few weeks our office has moved into the new "Youth Hut" opposite the Howdale Community Centre. We have been working on preparing the building including knocking two rooms into one, getting the place painted through the community service "Payback" team, and trying to get new furniture. We have been making some real progress with this, and are hopeful it will be completed in the next few weeks.
New Youth Cafes
When the building is up and running we will be launching two weekly Youth Cafe style sessions. One will be after school (3 - 5pm) for 11-15's on a Tuesday and the other will be an evening (7:30 - 9:30pm) for 14-18's on Thursday's. Hopefully we will soon know when the building will be ready and will be able to plan a launch event for these.
Rock School
In the middle of August Ben and Paul went to Holt Hall to help the County Council run a residential week. The week was a rock school and there was professional tuition and the week ended with a concert where they performed songs they had written themselves as well as a Kings of Leon song.
Summer Fayre
At the end of August we had a Summer Fayre at the Downham Market Methodist Church. It was an excellent event with lots of games, stalls and support from local shops and the community as a whole. Through the event including donations from the Lions and Lionesses we raised just under £500.
Building Refurb
The last few weeks our office has moved into the new "Youth Hut" opposite the Howdale Community Centre. We have been working on preparing the building including knocking two rooms into one, getting the place painted through the community service "Payback" team, and trying to get new furniture. We have been making some real progress with this, and are hopeful it will be completed in the next few weeks.
New Youth Cafes
When the building is up and running we will be launching two weekly Youth Cafe style sessions. One will be after school (3 - 5pm) for 11-15's on a Tuesday and the other will be an evening (7:30 - 9:30pm) for 14-18's on Thursday's. Hopefully we will soon know when the building will be ready and will be able to plan a launch event for these.
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