This article contains some amazing youth programmes in Leeds that business can support and get involved in.
Business Says YES! to Young People
We are delighted to announce that Leeds City Centre Arts venue, Arts@Trinity has teamed up with People Help People to create an innovative and exciting Youth Engagement project.
At our recent Conscious Cafe event – many of you expressed concerns for the issues that young people face today.
This often has an impact on their confidence and we wanted to do something about that.
“YES!” (the Arts@Trinity ‘Youth Engagement Scheme’) has been created in this collaborative partnership to aid twenty young people aged
NCS Nation Citizen Service
between 18 and 24 to gain access to the arts through Music (including production) Theatre, and Visual Arts. The course aims to boost the confidence and creativity of those who take part, and develop the learning of applied practical skills to enhance training and job opportunities. The course will run from April this year at Arts@Trinity; classes and workshops will be taught by professional Arts tutors, all with experience in their chosen field.
The course will be free for the young people taking part and will stretch beyond this pilot scheme of work.
We are now seeking business sponsors and supporters to bring this exciting programme to life for young people.
Visit us at http://www.peoplehelppeople.co.uk to find out more about what we do or you can email me to find out more about the social value that you will help deliver by supporting this programme.
We would love you to say YES!!!!! to supporting our future generation…
By Vivienne Duke
vivienne.duke[at]peoplehelppeople.co.uk
The sight that greeted me as I stepped on the stage to speak to 120 enthusiastic 16-17 year olds at the February half term NCS (National Citizen Service something is available as one of the youth programmes in Leeds), was truly wonderful.
They were just about to develop their social action projects to tackle issues they are concerned about in their communities and I was there to talk about how People Help People does this in the business world.
I was blown away by the enthusiasm and palpable energy in the room. These young people really do want to make a difference in their communities. Here are some of the issues that our young generation want to tackle.
Here are the issues they are passionate about:
1. Support for Young Carers
2. Young people and drugs/self harm/mental health
3. Lack of education system for those with learning difficulties
4. Giving a voice and influence for young people
5.Helping disabled people
6. Racism and the Justice System
7. Bereavement in Families with Children
8. Homelessness
9.Ignorance of illness
10.World Hunger and World Peace
11.People reaching their full potential
12. Power of the media turning negative into positive
13. Educating people re LGBT
We are in safe hands with the next generation. I was utterly blown away.
Many of our business associates supported this round of the programme via volunteering, speaking and providing venues.
If you would like to get involved with NCS as a business or individual please do let me know and I will introduce you to the team at Leeds City Council.
http://www.ncsthechallenge.org/
By Vivienne Duke
vivienne.duke[at]peoplehelppeople.co.uk
Another incredible programme for young people and today I met with Saphra Bennett, Project Coordinator for Yorkshire.
What an amazing lady – whose passion for supporting young people shines through. We are getting right behind this programme and would recommend other businesses get involved too. We just love their ethos and aims:
Fixers
“Young People Using their Past to Fix The Future”
Who are Fixers?
Fixers UK is a project through PSBT (Public Services Broadcasting Trust), voted National Lottery’s Best UK Charity Project 2014. We work in regions across the UK (so can be thought of as one of the youth programmes in Leeds) with young people aged 16-25 years on an issue they are passionate about. It can be a group or an individual that want to do a project that is important to them.
‘The Story So Far’ tells you a bit about what we have been up to over the past few years. We currently contribute a broadcast piece of 3 minutes to regional ITV news each month, showcasing the work young people have done and showing them in a positive light.
What do we do?
We meet with your young people, hear what they are interested in/what issues they want to make a difference to; we then work with the young people on their project idea, helping them to refine their ideas before we get our Creative Team involved to help to develop the resource most appropriate for the ‘fix’. We then help the young people to get their resource out there so it has full impact on their chosen audience. Resources that have been created include; short films and animations, one off events, website, leaflets and posters, and many more (you can see some of them on our website here).
Here’s Saphra’s contact email:
saphra[at]fixers.org
www.fixers.org.uk
