PAG Funding Award

1. The organisation’s evidence of what it will do with the funding.

What: Thursday night youth club (Connect Youth) staffed with volunteers and a youth worker. This youth club will provide recreational activities for young people in a youth café style. There will be gaming both electronic gaming consoles and board games. There will also be craft activities for the young people and this will be. In the summer there will be the opportunity to go out onto the field and play sports. These activities are planned based on the consultation with young people in Holme upon Spalding Moor. There will also be opportunities for young people to build skills such as how to apply for a job and build a CV. We have volunteers who are able and passionate about offering this service to young people.

These activities will be beneficial to young people, supporting their mental health and helping to build their self-esteem when successfully participating in the activities that they enjoy. Allowing us to build positive relationships with the young people and include them within the community. Supporting them to have a voice with the statutory services and stakeholders in the village such as the police and the parish council.

Connect Youth can offer mental health support for young people, as volunteers will be required to complete mental health awareness training. Paid staff will have mental health first aid training, meaning that appropriate and effective support can be given to young people to help in a crisis or difficult times in their lives. Supporting them to build resilience and thrive.

Where: The Coffee shop in the Village Courtyard, High Street, Holme upon Spalding Moor.

When: Thursday evening over 2 sessions during term time. With a summer program to be developed.

Connect Youth has already been awarded the Community action grant that will allow for the capital costs for setting up the Xbox and craft activities. To grow connect youth the next step will be to employ a youth worker who can work in the sessions. We estimate the costs below for establishing Connect Youth and being able to provide consistency.

2. Evidence that there is a need for the project/activity and that young people have been consulted and shaped the application.

The need for a youth club has been recognized across Holme upon Spalding Moor since last summer when there was an increase in anti-social behaviour. This has been recognized by the parish council, the police and the anti-social behaviour officer at East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Each of these different partners has agreed that a recreational youth club would provide activities for young people and reduce anti-social behaviour. (See Appendix 1).  Connect youth will offer alternative positive activities to engage in. This engagement will occupy the young people with interesting activities that have been requested by them. This will create a warm and welcoming space for them to go and relax with their friends. Each session will be run in the coffee shop with food provided free of charge to the young people attending.

Young people were consulted through November and December. This was through have-your-say sessions, online surveys and a post-it note feedback board at the village Christmas light switch on. At the Christmas light switch on we had the most response. The question that we asked was,  “What they need to have a good youth club in the village of Holme Upon Spalding Moor?” We had feedback from 23 young people and parents, the feedback has been collated into a word cloud.

This research shows that the majority of young people wanted the youth club to involve some gaming, and/or sports, crafts. Some young people liked the idea of having a Lego club or a youth café where they could have a comfortable space in the warm to hang out with their friends.

This feedback will be followed with further Youth Have Your Say sessions in February where we will feedback to the young people through a “you said and we did” handout. Ongoing feedback will be welcome from the young people and we will regularly consult them on the their views of connect youth and how we can improve it.

Each session will be evaluated through staff reflections against the aims and objectives of recreational sessions. These will be regularly reviewed to ensure that Connect youth is working in the best way to serve the young people that use it. We will do this by asking the young people to evaluate how they think the sessions have been running at least on a termly basis. This allow the young people to shape the sessions and will help us develop and meet any emerging needs.  If the young people were interested we could have nominated young people who will feedback to us the views of their peers and this would allow the young peoples voice to be heard more clearly.

For each session, we will keep the data regarding the users of the youth club such as the number of young people, gender and ages to ensure that we are offering an inclusive session that meets the needs of all potential users.

3. Summary of why the funding should go to your project.

The census information from 2021 shows that around 50% of residents in Holme on Spalding Moor (HOSM) are living with at least one area of deprivation meaning that affordable and free activities are needed for young people. There are 250 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 in HOSM and there is currently a clear lack of recreational and support activities available to these young people (Link to census data).

Previously youth clubs have been set up and run by volunteers by others in the village. This has not been sustainable long term and these youth clubs are no longer running. We would like to employ a youth worker to ensure the sustainability of this youth provision. These Thursday night sessions are the first stage of a plan to provide more frequent youth club activities.

In being able to provide a consistent and sustainable youth service we will be able to build relationships with the young people that will support us in providing learning opportunities. We have two volunteers who are passionate about supporting young people to gain meaningful employment and supporting the skills that are needed to apply for jobs. This is something that we would like to provide alongside the Thursday evening youth clubs in a targeted way.

The values of Holme Family Connect will be used when running and planning the Connect Youth sessions. These are Christian faith and belief, Respect, Care, Empowerment, User Led and Safe Haven. In creating a youth club that uses these values we will support the young people to improve their trust and tolerance with one another and with the staff and volunteers. This will create a safe space where they can be heard and we can respond to their voices. Championing them and empowering them to make the changes that they want to see in their community and their lives.

Expected impact:

1. To support the wellbeing of the young people through providing educational leisure time activities this will support with emotional and social development.
2. To support the parish council and police to target and reduce anti-social behaviour in Holme upon Spalding Moor.
3. Reducing isolation and poor mental health through the provision of recreational activities and creating community.
4. Positive ongoing relationships with staff and volunteers.
5. Supporting skill building for employment and other life skill opportunities, leading to higher rates of employability.

Appendix 1

Connect Youth would like to play a significant role in the development and achievement of children and young people. We can do this by providing a supportive and nurturing environment where young people can learn, socialise, and grow in various aspects of their lives. Here are some key ways in which Connect Youth can young people achieve:

Social Skills Development: Connect Youth will offer a platform for children and young people to interact with their peers in a structured yet informal setting. This interaction aids in the development of critical social skills such as communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution.

Emotional Support and Mentoring: All the staff and volunteers at Connect Youth will be trained in mental health awareness. They will be able to listen and talk to young people about personal issues, helping them build resilience and self-esteem.

Civic Engagement and Community Involvement: Once established we will encourage community service and civic engagement, teaching young people the value of giving back to their community and the importance of being responsible citizens.

Leadership Skills: Through various programs and activities, we can provide opportunities for young people to take on leadership roles.

Inclusivity and Diversity: By bringing together young people from diverse backgrounds, youth clubs promote inclusivity, tolerance, and respect for diversity.

Preventing Risky Behavior: By engaging young people in positive activities and providing mentorship, youth clubs can play a role in preventing risky behaviours.