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Youth services and Youth Provision and Young people.


TomJenningsMYP

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So you too managed to survive your youth without "support" then Diz?! :wink:

 

Yep I realise I did now... :oops: although I had a huge circle of friends so we never really got bored and of course we could all hang around places without getting 'stereotyped' as bing possible troube :D

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So you too managed to survive your youth without "support" then Diz?! :wink:

 

Yep I realise I did now... :oops: although I had a huge circle of friends so we never really got bored and of course we could all hang around places without getting 'stereotyped' as bing possible troube :D

 

What's 'bing possible troube' ???? :roll:

Posh talk from Stockton Heath. :wink:

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It was 'youth talk'... honest :oops::lol:

 

I suppose there is no point in me correcting my post now that you lot have all commented and quoted me.

 

Never spill a glass of alcohol on your keyboard as it causes inoperative keys and ones that press the key next to it as if by magic :?

 

Appologies to Tom as my mistake has now sent this topic off on a tangent :oops::wink:

 

... so back to youth provision now eh :D

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I'm not asking for everything to be just given to us and to be paid for,

the Youth Cafe we've been campaigning for would be run through membership passes and buying beverages and paying to use the facilities.

But we still need the funds to initially start it up, just like other events and projects young people wish to run.

 

What I think your missing, is that the money is there to be used on Youth Provision, but its taken from us, despite there being a demand for it.

Its not a question of whether the money should be there.

The fact is, the money is there, but it isn't being used for what its put there for by the Government.

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Happens with a lot of funding which is allocated Tom.

 

It goes into a pot which is often still used for 'kids' or whatever purpose but not necesarily in the way it was hoped for or intended.

 

The Youth Cafe you mention... where would that be and what other facilities would it possibly have ?

 

How much money would be needed to start it up and what do you envisage the expected running costs be ie: for rent, gas, electric, provisions, equiment, insurance etc etc.

 

Could all these running costs be met by the membership scheme and other charges for use of the facilities or would more investment and/or funding be needed to keep it open long term ?

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Happens with a lot of funding which is allocated Tom.

 

It goes into a pot which is often still used for 'kids' or whatever purpose but not necesarily in the way it was hoped for or intended.

 

The Youth Cafe you mention... where would that be and what other facilities would it possibly have ?

 

How much money would be needed to start it up and what do you envisage the expected running costs be ie: for rent, gas, electric, provisions, equiment, insurance etc etc.

 

Could all these running costs be met by the membership scheme and other charges for use of the facilities or would more investment and/or funding be needed to keep it open long term ?

 

 

Well from what the Youth Service have told us;

The Council would lease a building to us for ?1 each year, with other businesses and charities would buy into it to cover some of the initial costs. They've suggested the old Loyld's TSB bank near Times Square, as that's a Council owned building.

 

We did a survey of 2,000 young people who asked for a Youth Centre which had a media room, music studio, a gym, etc.

So once the final amount of money is laid on the table, IMPACT will then look at what we can actually afford.

 

With covering the costs of gas, electricity etc, we would charge for the facilities to be used, hoping to then to collect enough money to cover the costs, without funding from other sources.

 

But at the end of the day, nothing is perfectly planned out because were still waiting on the Council to make or release their decision.

 

But were hoping to have a Youth Cafe, set up by young people, for young people and kept open through young people using it ^^

And with the huge demand for it, I don't see how it can fail.

But I'm sure they'll be a few who will pick holes in the idea xD

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How big is the old Lloyds Tsb unit? Is it single storey or double... can't remember it sorry :oops:

 

Is it large enough to have a gym, music studio, media room, cafe etc and how many kids do you recon would use it at any one time or how many could it hold?

 

To entice and keep all the youngsters it would have to have a pretty good gym and media facilites etc which would be costly, although maybe equipment could be donated by companies etc.

 

Although you have 2000 who say this is what they want WOULD they get bored of it after the novelty period had worn off and move on to something else or want something else ?

 

Then of course you have the issue of security... a town centre building full of media equipment, a music studio plus equipment and also gym equipment (all of which are 'removable') would result in quite a heafty insurance premium especially when you consider the location and the main users being youngsters.

 

One 'hole' I can see from what you have said so far though is

 

"... hoping to then to collect enough money to cover the costs, without funding from other sources.

 

You can't really run a business (and yes it would be a sort of business) in the HOPE that you can cover the costs... you need to have a projected plan and know you can cover the overheads or at least know that other money IS available from other sources IF you need it.

 

What you don't want to happen is to open the doors, realise you can't cover all the overheads, then have to close while you find more money. Users may loose interest and any possible new investor will be scared away.

 

Also it could be hard for the council to hand over the building and let you sign a rental lease if you can't show them a real plan of what you propose and how it will work both in practice and also financially.

 

I'm not picking holes or knocking your ideas by the way I'm just discussing and these are just my opinions and observations :wink:

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Your completely right, and I feel that IMPACT and the Youth Service need to be focusing more on these issues.

But at the moment its a case that either IMPACT is being left out of the loop and all this has been discussed between the Youth Service and the Council, or that its simply not having the attention it deserves.

 

As for young people getting bored; there's a difference between a toddler being given a toy to play with and getting bored within 30minutes and teenagers being given a facility designed for them and what they want.

 

I believe young Warringtonian's would love and use any kind of Youth Centre located in the town Centre on a regular basis, so a Youth Cafe that has the facilities they've asked for would be brilliant.

 

About it being a business, I'm under the impression that the Youth Cafe is not seen as a hugely profiteering opportunity and IMPACT certainly hopes it isn't built to be one.

But I'm sure someone will have the agenda of making money out of it, if not the Council considering how strapped for cash they are xD

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Your completely right, and I feel that IMPACT and the Youth Service need to be focusing more on these issues.

 

Good to hear that as you do need to focus more on those sort of issues too aswell as your main objective of getting somewhere and something for you youngsters to enjoy and call your 'own'.

 

But at the moment its a case that either IMPACT is being left out of the loop and all this has been discussed between the Youth Service and the Council, or that its simply not having the attention it deserves.

 

So make sure you are NOT left out of the loop... but just don't say 'we want' or 'we need' without having the plan of how it will all work and the cost implications etc etc etc.

 

As for young people getting bored; there's a difference between a toddler being given a toy to play with and getting bored within 30minutes and teenagers being given a facility designed for them and what they want.

 

Do you have a toddler or a teenager Tom :lol::wink:

 

There is indeed a difference as with toddlers you can stick the ?2 toy in the cupboard for a week then bring it out again and the excitement is 'all new'... teenagers change their minds, change their hobbies, change their interests and shove all their past and much 'needed and wanted' things in a cupboard for 6 months and bring them out again and they are no longer interested.

 

I know you are one yourself but your have the advantage of being very focussed on your one goal which is admirable and being so determined and focussed at the moment you will not get bored of it.

 

I believe young Warringtonian's would love and use any kind of Youth Centre located in the town Centre on a regular basis, so a Youth Cafe that has the facilities they've asked for would be brilliant.

 

Only if it is as grand as their expectations :wink:

 

I'm not convinced that the town centre location is a good place for it though but then again I would say that as I wouldn't I :lol:

 

About it being a business, I'm under the impression that the Youth Cafe is not seen as a hugely profiteering opportunity and IMPACT certainly hopes it isn't built to be one.

But I'm sure someone will have the agenda of making money out of it, if not the Council considering how strapped for cash they are xD

 

Maybe I shouldn't have used the word 'business' as I didn't for one minute mean it had to make a profit (but would be good if it did eh as then you could buy more equipment and make it even better)

 

You know what I meant though ... ie IT HAS TO be able to AT LEAST meet it's own overheads or it will fail. No money to pay the bills = no youth centre :?

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Seem to recall a news item, where some Towns are trying to revitalise their High Streets by leasing unoccupied shops to charities. SO, give the kids an empty shop - and the rest could be left up to their ingenuity and level of interest? :?

 

Wish I'd have read that before I started my long reply Obs.... great idea and the locla kids could have the whole of boarded up Bridge Street :wink:

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Sustainability is the buzz word these days. Whatever you get offered by WBC, read the small print and get proper advice. Who pays the gas, electric. phone, internet etc.?

 

By the way, mega bucks were available last year (and I mean millions) for anything to do with youth projects. I don't know what the current position is, but contact Kim Bates who deals with the Funder-Finder and she will assist you.

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Sustainability most certainly is one of the buzz words Peter... along with the words 'disadvantaged', 'accessible' and 'popular' :wink:

 

There are all sorts of funding avenues available such as lottery grants, government funding, local authority funding and many more but we all know that... it's getting it and keeping it that's the hard thing especially in todays economic climate where there are never ending cuts being made.

 

I suppose one question to ask would be whether funding for things like youth centres or youth cafe's should take precidence over other funds which are being cut or held back such as those for education, health etc etc.

 

In an ideal world there would be enought money to go around for everything but sadly there's not :cry:

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What age group though ie open age upto 18 or more specific ie 13 - 16 etc.

 

You know what's coming next from me though Tom :oops: .. but it's because of what you have just said on another topic .

 

If it's open until 11 at weekends how will the kids get home and is it safe for them to be around town at that time on a Friday / Saturday night. OK so a lot will be picked up by their parents but many others wont be.

 

Parents might think they are safe in the confines of the club too but what's to stop the younger ones, or any of them for that matter, going for a wander around town if they get 'bored' :shock:

 

Sorry, I'm not trying to be negative it's just the 'worried parent' side of me coming out :oops::lol:

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:shock: Have I said all this before too :shock: Is this the same idea and centre that was going to go on Bridge Street. :oops:

 

To me a town centre location for a youth club is a 'NO NO'... but I am willing to be convinced if someone can indeed convince me :D

 

Personally I'd rather see government and council money spent on enhancing existing facilities and clubs in various inner/outer areas of the town which are perhaps closer to where kids actually live.

 

These would cater for a greater area and groups of youngsters but I guess that is not possible and has probably already been tried but perhaps funding wasn't enough to keep the kids interested or provide the services they wanted :?

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I'd say from 13 to 18 and you are right in that, the one thing we wouldn't want is young people being left to walk home or face the "horrors" of Bridge street on a Friday night. Therefore I would propose as an idea, that it shuts roughly at 10pm, that way young people have an hour to catch their bus. This would work as most buses come every hour, with some coming every half hour.

 

What I would also suggest to the Youth Service, is that on Friday and Saturday nights, the Youth Centre caters more to the older youngsters, perhaps with having band nights designed for 15-18 yr olds as one option.

This means that if the young people do choose to leave early or walk home, they are of an age which hopefully has a lot of common sense and maturity to behave and get home safely.

 

but also, its really up to the parents and the young people themselves to take responsibility for how they spend their weekend night times. But at the same time, the Youth Centre should do its best to make sure young people are safe as they leave the building too.

 

As for the argument to have it located in the Town Centre, in the Summer and indeed sometimes in winter, there are hundreds of young people hanging around in town, most with nothing to do but walk around the shops and buy coffee.

So its an ideal location for young people to pop in and use the facilities, especially when all of the bus routes come into town.

If young people were to go to the Peace Centre, those who didn't live in the western district would have to take two buses.

For me to travel to the Peace Centre and back home by bus, it would cost me ?6 per night.

To travel to town, it costs ?1.50, so its also cost effective for a Youth Centre to be in town Centre, as well as easily accessible.

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Get yourself a Saver Card Tom... ?21 a month and free bus travel every day/nigh of the week :wink:

 

My worry is not that the kids themselves wont have the common sense or maturity to behave and get home safely but more so the other's who will be in the town at the same time who may provoke or initialise 'problems' :?

 

Anyway, that aside for now...

 

Is the proposed w Time Square venue big enough to have bands on...? I thought you said they already do that in the Parr Hall anyway :?

 

The media centre part of the club... what will that have? By media do you mean like a games room with xboxes etc and pc's with internet access or something more specific ?

 

Whatever happened to the Newlove's campaign... they were supposed to be providing things for local kids to do aswell as a hands on media centre and radio station etc etc for youngster's be get involved with etc etc.

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