Youth and Community
Enabling young people to make their own informed choices and supporting them to become valued people in their community.
The YMCA is committed to enhancing the position of young people in the community. So often the news presents young people in a negative way when the root of the problem is beyond their control.
The work of helping hard-to-reach young people has brought the YMCA recognition in both county and borough. The YMCA aims to extend its support of young people, and where possible provide a level of integration that challenges marginalisation and broadens opportunities. This may include integrating different faith, cultural or international groups with the purpose of breaking down prejudice, intolerance and self-interest, promoting greater care and responsibility for each other and awareness of broader community issues. We will also promote opportunities for people to grow and develop by providing experiences outside of their normal environment.
Every young person has a right to be able to develop to their highest potential, in body, mind and spirit and at their heart of each of our projects will be the opportunity for the young person to contribute directly to the way in which support is provided. We recognise that traditional styles of meetings may not be an appropriate environment for young people's views to be represented and therefore other styles may have to be adopted.
We affirm that Every Northamptonshire Child Matters and will contribute to the objectives in the following way:
- Being healthy
- by placing a greater emphasis on healthy living in the centres and projects and extending opportunities to engage in physical activity. - Staying safe
- challenging risky behaviour, changing attitudes, helping young people to understand risk, provide strategies for avoiding trouble and manage feelings like anger, addressing community-wide risk factors. The YMCA will also contribute to this objective through increased parenting support. - Enjoying and achieving
- by making learning to be fun, the individual is valued, respected, listened to, where they can increase self-esteem, find independence, credit achievements, explore relationships and achieve a global appreciation of others. - Making a positive contribution
- in all the YMCA's work the needs and views of the service user will be paramount and each user will have an opportunity to contribute to their own support, enjoyment and well-being. - Economic well-being
- the YMCA will help young adults into employment through work experience and training, life-skills training as well as the experience of contributing to the running of projects and governance.
Through the work of the YMCA vulnerable young adults have found recognition as individuals, grown in their own self-esteem and found drive and determination to move forward on their own lives. In some, this is evidenced through their engagement in training or volunteering, in others turning from substance misuse or offending, in some returning to live with their own families. Younger children have learnt to understand the value of being safe and this work has even made significant impact in their families hrough the engagement of families in parenting support.
Last updated on 14/04/09 by Kate Gelder
