28. Memorandum submitted by Youth Works
Scheme
THE YOUTH
WORKS MODEL
A youth works programme is headed by a programme
manager who works closely with local agencies, programmes are
managed by a local multi agency steering group that comprise representatives
of local agencies such as the police, education, probation service,
plus local associations. A key feature of youth works programmes
is the emphasis on the involvement of local volunteers and each
programme has a target of recruiting residents to assist in delivery.
The Youth Works mission statement says "Youth
Works provides young people growing up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods
with the skills and opportunities to develop their personal skills,
to reduce crime and improve their social physical and economic
environments."
Youth Works as a scheme has recently celebrated
its tenth anniversary, set up partially as a response to inner
city unrest at that time (1994) Youth Works was initially a unique
partnership between Marks and Spencer, Whitbread, Crime Concern
and Groundwork. As a fore runner to the YIP programmes it shares
many of their aims and targets to reduce crime and drug problems
amongst young people and create better living environments for
the wider community.
Due to the different funding streams and slightly
different ideological stance, YouthWorks has been able to work
to a wider remit than those funded directly from the home office
or youth justice board. Both YIPs and positive futures engage
with those involved in crime or at risk of becoming involved.
Very large housing estates need to be identified to produce 50
such youths. Whereas youth works has by expanding the term "at
risk" Their criteria, includes not only those already involved,
and those at risk of becoming involved as perpetrators but also
those at risk of being victims of crime and of bullying, the younger
siblings of those involved, those who are children of drug users.
Also those "at risk" of sexual exploitation, teenage
pregnancy or social exclusion. Through either the circumstances
or environment in which they live.
YouthWorks has three main aims:
1. To address issues of crime and criminality
among young people. The targets for this aim are to reduce recorded
crime and nuisance levels by 30 to 50% within a three year period
and to reduce arrest rates among young people on the programme
by 60%.
2. To provide structured, vibrant and optimistic
programmes and activities aimed at providing young people with
the skills, capacity and motivation to become directly involved
in their personal development and the regeneration of their local
community.
3. To involve the wider community to ensure
that the Youth Works programme is sustained, adding value to existing
and new partnership initiatives.
In the first year of our operation youth nuisance
reduced by 29% and in the second year by 56%.
The number of activities used to engage these
young people also tend to take a wider perspective than other
similar schemes which concentrate on sport or adventurous activities
as the hook for more issue based work. The activities undertaken
by YouthWorks programmes tend to be as much suggested by the young
people themselves as by staff.
The projects revolve around activity and improvements
which can be conducted locally, and this is done though the setting
up of what is essentially a purpose driven "youth club"
open to all young people from the catchment area and beyond, from
where those who display or are identified as having a need can
be given the extra recourses they require. Also detached work
from the project can more easily identify those who would rather
not attend a centre provision and through engaging with these
outsiders can identity their various reasons for non attendance.
Workers can then supply or suggest alternative activities to re-engage
these young people not only on their own terms but on their own
turf.
Youth Works has also one of the widest age ranges,
working with those up to the age of 25 but also if preventative
work is to be successful we have to target those who are presently
developing the values which will influence their views in later
life which is when YouthWorks provides activities for those as
young as eight.
The success of our programmes is dependant on
the appointment of project managers who base themselves on the
estates either initially as outreach workers until suitable premises
can be identified and made available or hired by the programme.
From here the young people's needs and aspirations can be investigated
and innovatively channelled into positive actions. Another key
contributing factor to the success of the programme is in its
close links with both the community and other partner agencies
that work with and come into contact with, the at risk youth.
By working closely with the community in the development stage
of the project, there is a sense of understanding about what Youth
Works is trying to achieve, and this helps to avoid conflicts
at a later stage. If the community are not involved in this way
there is a high risk of both opposition to new ideas and also
a false impression about the purpose of the project. This knowledge
of the aims of the project is apparent when positive feedback
from the community is forthcoming. One resident in Wildmill said
in an interview as part of the evaluation:
"It was dreadful, absolutely dreadful.
People wouldn't come up to the shops if they could help it. The
youths would try to intimidate us verbally and physically. It
was a worry when we got our pension. They all sat on the wall,
we couldn't avoid them. Now we feel quite safe to walk in and
out of the Post Office. The hooligans have gone polite; they speak
to us with respect. Also I have noticed that they don't throw
cans all over the place like they used to."
The partner agencies that Youth Works delivers
its programme alongside include the Youth Offending teams, Local
Police, Positive Futures and others. This way of partnership working
enables clear communication between the various groups that enable
issues to be able to be tackled in a joint manner, therefore adding
to the strength of its delivery. Feedback from these agencies
is also of a very positive nature and provides evidence that the
Youth Works programme can make a very positive impact on a community,
as shown in the following statement also obtained as part of the
projects evaluation in Wildmill:
"I think the Youth Works approach has been
one factor in its success. It is very much part of the community
and engages with the community directly. The commitment and enthusiasm
of the staff is obvious."
Youth Works does not as yet receive funding
from central government department. As programmes do not have
the core funding of the youth inclusion projects they can be vulnerable
to funding crises. They rely on the goodwill of partners to provide
data that can illustrate their impact.
23 November 2004
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