NACYP VALLEY OUTREACH PROJECT

In partnership with North Tyneside Youth Service for over 12 years, NACYP has developed a good reputation for delivering quality outreach services for young people in the valley ward.  4 sessions take place on a weekly basis. The following report linked to the Every Child Matters 5 Outcomes (ECM) gives an overview of some of the project work that young people have been engaged in recently.

STAYING SAFE

Over the last year the Valley Outreach Project has been providing a safe environment for young people to access and feel comfortable to engage with one another through different mediums of activities. We felt as staff team these conversations were better suited and more productive in an informal setting where the discussions and dialogue were developed through an organic process.  The West Allotment Project did welcome a Sexual Health Worker to deliver sessions around related health issues. Throughout this last year there has been huge involvement from the young people participating in arts and crafts in a communal setting. We believe these sessions have been very popular with all ages especially the older young people at the Into Change Centre where it gave them the chance to explore and express themselves through art.

Over the last year the young people have explored different healthy eating options within their diet from such food as making healthy pizzas, smoothies, different pasta dishes, pancakes. Their learning included health, hygiene and safety procedures before using the kitchen facilities in all three centres we occupy in the Valley Ward, Into Change building, Backworth Community Centre and West Allotment Community Centre. The young people were always given a small budget to buy the ingredients and it was up them to discuss what ingredients they would buy thus helping them gain a insight into budgeting money and helping with their own personal development.

ENJOYING AND ACHIEVING

This last year the young people have enjoyed participating within the session activities and they have made a positive contribution in the design of the sessions that have been on offer. One young lady successfully applied for funding through North Tyneside Youth Action Fund for a nail art grooming set towards a future college course she was going to attend.

There were other success stories such as the applications of funds of £3,000 from the NACYP Schofield Trust. This money went towards the young people’s summer programme. Young people went to a football game, Newcastle v Sheffield. They also went for a meal at Pizza Hut and the money also paid for a Graffiti Artist to deliver two sessions around urban art.

Young people from all centres have had ground roots involvement in the decisions and ownership of the projects. Over the last six months at the Into Change building we have had a new younger group of young people coming along and accessing the provision. We feel these new younger young people are the future of the project. Their difference in age in comparison with the existing users was large. To create a balance and unity the young people came up with the idea to refresh the ground rules to encompass all in the centre. 

ACHIEVING ECONOMIC WELLBEING

As a staff team we feel it's great to observe young people accessing The Valley Outreach Project on a voluntary basis. We feel this is important to us and the relationship we have with the young people. The young people come from diverse backgrounds and the Centres we work from are great places for the young people to feel welcome to escape from external and internal issues. It's also a great place for them to hang out and meet other young people on the estate and surroundings. We feel these interactions are important developing their core skills thus resulting in the increase their positive experiences ' every experience leads to further experiences' (John Dewey).