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Gwaith ieuenctid
Partnership with Neath Port Talbot Youth Service
For 2021/22, a youth worker was working with the young people attending the Speech and Language Club at Giants Grave. She meets with an average of 15-20 young people each week, aged between 16 and 18, at the clubs. The worker's role at Neath Port Talbot Youth Service is to provide 1-1 wellbeing and mental health advice and support to young people, and to build positive relationships with groups of young people. That often begins with sitting around a table with a creative activity where conversations start and a young person may open up about their feelings. Over the past year conversations have included bereavement, teenage pregnancy, career aspirations, problems at home, school and friendships.
For 2022/23, the partnership continue and two youth workers was working alongside with NPT Youth Service. The collaboration between BGC Wales and NPT Youth Service has further to a higher level. The two workers based in Tir Morfa, as well as working as a part of the NPT team, they are also promoting BGC Wales's offers to the young people in the area, and connecting with our member clubs in Neath Port Talbot.
For more information, please contact Andy at andrew@bgc.wales
Partnership with Blaenau Gwent Youth Service
We ran a variety of activities for the young people in Blaenau Gwent area. In the Open Access Youth Provision, we delivered wellbeing workshops in the aim of empowering young people to have the skills to look after their own wellbeing. Alongside this, we have a dedicated arts group to create a safe space for young people to explore their skills, be creative and express themselves. One of the highlights of the year is that we were able to run a Girls Only Day in order to create a focused and safe space for the girls in the area. The young people engaged in a variety of activities, such as beauty and make-up, working with Us Girls for their physical wellbeing, as well as woodwork in order to be creative and express themselves. Another highlight was being able to run a wellbeing residential at The Lodge. We took 14 young people to The Lodge for a 2-day and a night, where they engaged in a variety of activities, including visiting STEER and the aqua park, and wellbeing sessions to have that focused time to help with their wellbeing.
Funding continued for placing a youth worker working alongside with Blaenau Gwent Youth Service in 2023. Elise has been working with ProMo Cymru to carry out focus groups with young people aged 11-14. Staff members Sarah and Megan from ProMo Cymru visited Tredegar Youth Club where they conducted a focus group for the young people. The young people were really enthusiastic and were really keen to express their opinion and views around social media and internet safety. To find out more information, please contact Elise at elise@bgc.wales
New Dragons Youth Club
We thank the on-going support from Flintshire County Council that enable us to run New Dragons Youth Club in Flintshire, North Wales.
The club, a speech and language club, has recently moved to a wonderful venue, Canolfan Byrn y Beili, in Mold. Provide a safe, friendly, and stimulating environment for young people, who have speech, language and communication difficulties, focusing on creating opportunities to understand and build friendships, develop their communication and social skills and have fun at the same time.
The project enables the young people to take part in a range of activities that seek to encourage conversation, teamwork, turn taking, and allows them to do things they would otherwise struggle to access due to their problems with communication.
The project will run every Thursday to support young people aged 11-17 who have ongoing speech, language and communication difficulties.This unique project is needs led by the youngsters themselves and is supported by a communication champion and trained youth workers.
BGC Wales will add value to this project through the provision of further accredited training and support, and access to their national activity calendar, including youth exchanges. Their staff already visit regularly and the young people are familiar with them. The project will also work closely with Flintshire Local Voluntary Services and CWVYS to ensure the provision continues to work towards the well-being indicators, and the YEPF.
Many thanks for supporting us to run the successful New Dragons Youth Club in Mold. BGC Wales are once again immensely grateful for the support of the Youth Revenue Support Grant, without which we would be unable to provide this vital resource to marginalised young people in Flintshire. During this period, we have supported 57 young people, and indirectly their friends, families and communities by providing this specialised youth club, a safe space for them to go and be supported by qualified, specialist staff. We are delighted with the success of the club and are grateful to the excellent staff who have a great impact on young people's lives - many of these young people face many challenges in their day-to-day life due to their disabilities. As an Organisation we are proud of the work that the sessional staff at the club undertake to assist young people with speech, language and communication needs
We would like to congratulate Lin Brackenbury who was shortlisted for the Outstanding Youth Worker Award at the Youth Work Excellence Awards 2022. Lin works at New Dragons, our designated Speech and Language Club in Flintshire, North Wales.
Lin, accompanied by her husband, attended the Awards Ceremony which took place on 1 December 2022 at the stunning Brangwyn Hall in Swansea. Though she didn't win, Lin was over the moon to have been nominated and be part of this meaningful event.
Wellbeing Projects 2021/22
Mae’n bwysig iawn fod ansawdd ein gwaith ieuenctid yn cael ei gynnal ar lefel uchel. Yn 1992, daeth Clybiau Bechgyn a Merched Cymru yn elusen ac rydyn ni’n aml yn derbyn gwobrau sy’n achredu safon ein hansawdd. Mae’r rhain yn cynnwys dyfarniadau gan Fuddsoddwyr mewn Pobl a’r Marc Ansawdd.
Rydyn ni’n cefnogi ein clybiau i wella’u hansawdd trwy ddarparu cyngor ar sut i gyflawni ansawdd cydnabyddedig ac ennill statws elusennol. Yn ogystal â hynny, mae pob clwb yn derbyn ein Llawlyfr i Glybiau sy’n rhoi cyngor ymarferol ar sut i ddarparu gwaith ieuenctid o safon i bobl ifanc. Rydyn ni’n rhoi cyfle i bob arweinydd a gwirfoddolwr ennill Gwobr Lefel 2 mewn Gwaith Ieuenctid a Thystysgrif Lefel 3 mewn Gwaith Ieuenctid. Cyflwynir y gwobrau hyn mewn partneriaeth ag Addysg Oedolion Cymru.
Mae gan ymddiriedolwyr, gwirfoddolwyr ac arweinwyr sydd am ennill dealltwriaeth bellach o waith ieuenctid yn ogystal ag ennill cymhwyster lefel mynediad 2, hefyd y cyfle i gymryd rhan yn Rhaglen Gynefino CCGIG sef “Cam Tuag at Waith Ieuenctid”.
We have worked in partnership with the youth services from eight local authorities - Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Cardiff, Bridgend, Carmarthen and Vale of Glamorgan - to deliver activities at The Lodge that support the wellbeing of young people in their youth service.
KPC Youth had an awesome time staying at The Lodge and loved their stay. They said: “Amazing classic weekend, definitely will come again”. The building was a great space for them to set up a DJ set so that their young people could have fun listening and dancing to different music.
Another great group of young people from Cardiff Care Leavers stayed with us for 2 nights. They had a great experience and loved their stay at the Lodge.
The young people left this this amazing feedback in our guestbook:
“Had the most amazing time here. Lovely, sweet staff and beautiful area. I've already been here twice and I can’t wait to come again”.
“Had a great time and enjoyed everything we did here. I got to experience some amazing stuff. I got to make amazing memories. Hopefully we will see you again. I would love to come back”.
“Had an amazing time. Thank you so much for the experience. Hopefully see you again soon”.
Our member clubs from across Wales are very welcome to use our facilities at the Lodge for a small charge rather than booking a hotel if they are travelling for youth events. All proceeds go towards running the centre. Thanks! Please see our website for more information.