Retail therapy!

Kate Culverhouse of Groundwork North East

A group of young people from County Durham are celebrating, as they graduated from The Prince’s Trust Get into Retail course in association with Groundwork North East.

Twelve trainees took part in the programme, impressing organisers with their commitment and enthusiasm as they received expert guidance in working in a retail environment. Three of the young people have gone on to be offered positions with Cotswold Outdoor and Bolton Care Group.

The nationally successful “Get into Retail” course is run regularly for young people in County Durham, as the number of young unemployed people aged 16-24 hits 34%.

One success story is Matthew Witney, 21, of Esh Winning, who secured a job at Cotswold Outdoor after being unemployed for 12 months. After finishing college in 2011, Matthew had high hopes of securing work but as the months went by with no luck he began to lose hope.

He said: “The Get into Retail course gave me the chance to gain skills and on the job work experience in customer service and I learned so much on my placement. Before the course I was struggling to find work so it feels great to have secured a job and finally be able to support myself.”

The three-week programme offers young people the opportunity to gain qualifications in customer service, health and safety and emergency first aid.

After an initial two weeks of training, each trainee completed work experience in County Durham, giving them vital on the job experience.  The young people will then be supported for six months by The Prince’s Trust, helping them into further work, education or training.

Lucy Hornsby of The Prince’s Trust said: “We are proud to work with Groundwork North East in giving young people across the region expert training and providing them with the skills and confidence to secure employment in retail.

“It is clear that it is a tough time for young people when youth unemployment is so high, so it is great to see that three of the trainees have gone on to get job offers already.”

Kate Culverhouse, Managing Director of Groundwork North East, said: “Our collaboration with the Prince’s Trust and local retailers is an ideal way of providing young people with a taste of the world of work and also equipping them with the confidence to help them secure a job.

“The Get into Retail Scheme combines the provision of practical skills with the opportunity for the participants to gain valuable direct experience in a retail environment, which will enhance their employability and their CVs.

“The worth of the initiative is demonstrated by three of the young people, including Matthew, being offered retail jobs.  I wish them and the other participants all the success for the future.”

Last year, three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust moved into work, training or education.

Youth charity The Prince's Trust helps change young lives. It supports 13- to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by The Prince’s Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health problems, or they have been in trouble with the law.

The next Get into Retail course begins on 18th February 2013. The programme is open to unemployed young people aged 16-25. Please contact Jacqui Hodgson – 0191 386 3861/0780 307 9643 or email: Jacqui.Hodgson@groundwork.org.uk for more information.

A day on the tiles for MP



Paige Norton and Callum Hutton with the mosaic, watched by Yvette Cooper MP and shopkeeper Pav Sull

Normanton MP Yvette Cooper has shown her support for a young people’s project in the town by attending an event to celebrate the work carried out by local youngsters to improve the town centre.

During the visit, the Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford met young people from The Well project who have engaged with Turning the Corner (TTC), a Big Lottery funded initiative designed to break down barriers between young people and shop owners, to see the results of a project to brighten up the entrance to seven shops on Queen Elizabeth Drive.

Thirteen young people, aged 10-16, have created a series of tiled mosaics depicting images relating to the service each shop provides. The mosaics have been displayed in the entrance to each of the shops, owned by Wakefield and District Housing (WDH), which include a newsagent, a dog grooming parlour and a fish and chip shop. Working with local artist Claire Walker, the mosaics were created during The Well Project’s after-school club, where TTC works with local young people.

After admiring the mosaics, Ms Cooper heard from the young people and businesses about impact that TTC, through The Well Project, has had on the community since it was launched in 2012. The project has been supported 48 young people to achieve accreditations and qualifications and it has helped more than 400 young people work with 26 local businesses to regenerate their physical street corner environment.

Yvette Cooper said: “The mosaic artwork Woodhouse young people have done is amazing. It’s great to see young people and local shopkeepers working together alongside community projects. The mosaics they’ve created are really impressive pieces and reflect a real sense of pride in the area. All the young people I met were really enthusiastic about the work they’ve done and it helps everyone feel part of a strong community."
Lauren Barker aged 15 who has been involved with the project, said: "I like coming to The Well project and taking part in the after-school activities. I feel honoured that we have people interested in our mosaics and that want to come and see us and what we have made."
Pav Sull, owner of the Woodhouse Post Office Store, was one of the businesses to receive a mosaic. He has seen the positive impact of engaging with local young people through TTC and The Well project over the past two years. He said: “I have seen drastic reduction in the anti-social behaviour compared to before TTC and The Well were set up. I have also noticed a vast improvement in the attitudes of the young people who come into the shop.

“I think it’s vital that communities like Normanton are supported with projects like TTC as it helps to build up a dialogue with young people, where previously it would have been hard, if not impossible. By the same token, businesses and members of the local community must get involved too, as it’s a two-way process. The young people need to feel valued and respected, and projects like TTC, which provide a platform for young people and businesses to work together are essential.”
Claire Wright, TTC youth worker for Groundwork Wakefield, said: “We’re delighted to have had the chance to show some of the work produced by local young people, and the positive impact that TTC and The Well are making to the local community in Normanton, to Yvette Cooper. We’re extremely proud of what’s been achieved here over the past two years and to have her seal of approval has given the young people an added and well deserved sense of achievement.”

Louise Murray, Property and Assets Manager for WDH, said: “We are delighted that our commercial properties now have the work of young people displayed at the entrance of each shop. It’s a unique project that has really helped build positive relationships in the local community.”The tiles for the mosaics were donated by local business Caesars Ceramics.
For further information about TTC projects in Wakefield contact Claire Wright on tel: 01924 307222 or visit the website 

ends

Further Media Information: Lindsey Spears, Press Ahead, tel: 0191 516 6235, mobile: 07946 781 134, email: ls@pressahead.info

NOTES TO EDITORS

Turning the Corner (TTC)

The TTC programme covers areas within the Groundwork North East and Yorkshire regions, including Durham, South Tyneside, Dearne Valley, Wakefield and Leeds.

TTC is operated by six Youth Workers whose aim is to engage with young people congregating around shops, encouraging them to carry out environmental improvements in shopping areas in partnership with local businesses. The overall aim of the project is for young people to take ownership of their local areas and to improve relationships between young people and shop owners that will benefit the community as a whole.

Participating retailers will be awarded a YES pledge – Young People’s Exceptional Services – to be displayed to indicate that they are a young people friendly establishment.

Groundwork Wakefield

Groundwork Wakefield is the regional arm of a group of charities helping people and organisations make changes in order to create better neighbourhoods, to build skills and job prospects, and to live and work in a greener way.

Groundwork operates across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and works on thousands of individual projects each year, focus on disadvantaged communities where the most difference can be made.

The Well ProjectThe Well Project was established by Normanton All Saints Parish Church in late 2009.
The project has been established as a way of responding to an identified need following extensive research in the town over the last three years.
The Well Project has now been established as a charity in its own right and is self funded.
The Well currently provides afterschool provision with two sessions a week and are also running a weekly youth club on a Thursday night. A weekly community coffee morning is held every Friday at The Well.

Respect for youth project



The Nursery Farm Estate team



The Groundwork Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods programme in Leicestershire is celebrating after picking up a Respect Challenge Award from the Safer North West Partnership.

The award marks the work YPFN has been carrying out on the Nursery Farm Estate in Ashby, Leicestershire.

Darren Cashin, Lead Youth and Community Officer at Groundwork Leicester and Leicestershire, said: “This project forms part of our Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods programme of work and is a fantastic effort by young people and staff from Groundwork, Sanctuary Housing, Leicestershire Police and FPM to win this award in their first year working together. It has truly been a partnership effort with all staff pulling together to support young people and the community.

“Young people and staff worked together for six months to build a team that could make an impact on the estate in which they live and work. They consulted the community to find out what things needed to be improved and from this information they organised an event for the whole community.

“They helped to plan, design and deliver all elements of the project, including providing a food and drink menu and sourced and planted a Christmas tree with a commemorative plaque. This tree will grow for years to come and is something for the whole community to gather around and dress and celebrate every Christmas. They have now left a lasting legacy for themselves and the community to be proud of for years to come.”

The award was presented during a ceremony at the Conkers Discovery Centre in Moira by Penny Cureton of East Midlands Airport’s community relations team.

A BIG source of free advice

The Big Lottery Fund has published seven good practice guides for organisations working with young people.

The new publications, which are free to download, share lessons and practical examples from projects supported by the Young People's Fund. Since 2004 more than £211 million has been invested in projects which actively involve young people in planning and delivering youth services.

The seven new downloadable good practice guides are:

Encouraging active citizenship – supporting young people to make a positive contribution and engage with their community 

Actively involving young people – approaches to active involvement that have worked well for BIG-funded projects 

Reducing anti-social behaviour and working with young people who have offended or are at risk of offending – examples of tackling ASB to minimise the risk of young people continuing with offending behaviour 

Improving behaviour in schools – how youth projects have the potential to influence the behaviour of young people at risk of disengagement or exclusion 

Reducing cases of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) – key lessons from youth projects that have helped to keep young people actively engaged with education and identifying the triggers and early warning signs of disengagement 

Working with young carers – lessons from organisations working with this hidden group of young people 

Working with care leavers – practical examples of ways to engage care leavers within youth projects and helping to address issues such as instability faced by individuals

 To download the free guides click here

Minister gets the lowdown

Children and Families Minister Tim Loughton MP was full of praise for the work of Morningside and Gascoyne Youth Club in Hackney when he visited to hear first hand how the Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods project is making a difference in some of England’s most deprived communities.

YPFN helps young people to take control of services in their areas through partnerships between Groundwork, social housing landlords and youth work specialists

The club in Hackney was established ten years ago. Groundwork is working with the leaders, staff and club members to help them expand and deliver more services to more local young people.

Member Blake Higgins, aged 12, said: "It's great that the Minister is here; I'm really happy that he's come to see the youth club. I come here every Tuesday and Thursday. It's really popular and is important to give us something to do."

Mr Loughton said: “What impresses me most about this project is its innovative approach to engaging local young people in a long-term project that will benefit both themselves and the wider community.

“Groundwork UK and the partners should be commended for their efforts in getting young people back in to education, employment or training.”

Read more

You're hired! Jay signs on as Groundwork UK apprentice

With apprenticeships currently high on the political agenda, Groundwork UK is delighted to announce that it has taken on 16-year-old Jay Taylor as an apprentice office administrator.

Read more

Backing for Youth Contract and apprenticeships

Employment Minister Chris Grayling and  Apprenticeships Minister John Hayes with Groundwork London apprentices

Leading voluntary sector organisations are formally backing the Government’s programmes to ensure every young person is either earning or learning, Ministers have announced.

Through the Youth Contract and apprenticeships programme there is more support available to employers who want to offer sustainable jobs, training and work experience to unemployed young people.

Groundwork London hosted a roundtable discussion this week where charity leaders discussed with ministers the Youth Contract and how they offer young people work, training and apprenticeships in their organisations.

Some of Britain’s biggest charities including Groundwork UK, Mind and the NSPCC voiced their support for efforts to tackle youth unemployment.

Membership organisations the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations will also encourage their members to consider the opportunities offered by the scheme.

Groundwork London apprentices Ross Oakford, Jamaine Isiguzo and Paige Hoadley were also at the meeting and were able to tell the Ministers about their experiences in the workplace.

Ross found an apprenticeship with Balfour Beatty via Groundwork’s Employment and Skills Training Hub and now works as a swimming pool technician at the Olympic Park. Jamaine works with the Groundwork Green Doctor programme, offering energy saving advice to households in some of London’s most deprived area. Paige worked with Groundwork’s Green Team, gaining experience in gardening and horticulture before securing an apprenticeship as a gardener with Serco.

The government team at the talks was led by Ministers Chris Grayling (Employment), John Hayes (Apprenticeships) and Nick Hurd (Civil Society).

Chris Grayling said: “We want to harness the experience from all sectors to make sure we get it right on youth unemployment. We want young people to enter the labour market with the skills, training and experience required to secure sustainable employment. But we can't do this alone, that is why today we are meeting with voluntary sector organisations and welcoming them on board with the Youth Contract.”

Groundwork UK chief executive Sir Tony Hawkhead added: “Take a young person on as an apprentice and you improve their employment prospects instantly. The future of this country depends on equipping our young people with the right skills now – and giving charities the incentive through the wage subsidy element of the Youth Contract means we can all play our part in doing just that.”

Through the Youth Contract, the Department for Work and Pensions will be providing 160,000 Wage Incentives worth up to £2,275 to employers who recruit 18-24 year olds who are unemployed, claiming benefits and participating in the Work Programme.

The Youth Contract supports the creation of an additional 250,000 work experience places through the DWP work experience and sector-based work academies programmes.

Employers can register their interest in supporting the Youth Contract and can find out more via the DWP website