| A
programme aimed to benefit young people in inner city
east Belfast
•
By providing a safe and caring environment for those
who are most vulnerable and in need
• By helping teens reach their full potential
and make better choices to improve their quality of
life
“Give
us some space!” That’s the cry of young
people the world over, who are looking for somewhere
to call their own, a place where they can hang out and
be themselves. Unfortunately, when that space is missing
due to deprivation, teens all too often end up out on
the streets, under pressure from their peers, under
the influence of drugs, alcohol, glue and other substances.
Here in inner city east Belfast, they also face the
encroaching pressure of paramilitary influence.
Vulnerable
young people from a socially disadvantaged background
are easy prey. Many come from lone parent families or
families with absent parents, and many are underachieving
academically. The percentage of teenage pregnancies
in the area is almost three times the South and East
Belfast Trust average, and one of the local schools
reports that 50% of its children are on the Special
Needs Register. These are very real problems, and in
order to try to improve the lives of at least some of
these young people we are setting up an imaginative
approach to address these issues. We want to give these
young people their Space.
We are deeply concerned and desperately want to address
the needs of the local youth in order to prevent a vicious
cycle of instability, vulnerability, and poor quality
of life. We have the opportunity to connect with them
quite naturally, as they congregate in the car park
at Willowfield to hang out and pass the time. Whatever
the weather, they consistently gather in groups outside
and are responsive to any attention our current resources
allow us to provide.
Our
Objectives
We
aim to create a safe and positive environment in which
vulnerable teenagers in this area can develop to their
full potential intellectually, spiritually, physically,
emotionally, and socially so they can become responsible
and happy members of the community.
How
will we do this?
- By
setting up and running Space – a drop-in centre
open to teens evenings and weekends
-
By employing a youth worker and recruiting and training
a team of volunteers
-
By encouraging education and computer literacy
-
By setting up teen programmes/activities centred in
making sound life choices, building self-respect and
respect for others, drug and alcohol education, and
other relevant issues
-
By setting up and running a joint programme with the
elderly to foster mutual trust, understanding, and
respect
What
are the benefits for programme participants?
Space
will:
-
Be a safe and caring place for teenagers to spend
their leisure time
-
Provide a positive environment where the youth worker
and the volunteers will enforce child protection policies
and be positive role models for young people
-
Help teens learn to respect people, property, and
authority
-
Foster small group interaction and the development
of healthy relationships
-
Empower teenagers to make better life choices and
improve their quality of life in the present and the
future
How
will we know that Space is making a difference?
The
quantifiable objectives for the first year are:
- 40
teenagers will regularly attend the drop-in
-
10 young people will complete at least one programme
dealing with issues such as drug and alcohol abuse,
under-age sexual activity, violence and vandalism,
etc
-
Young people who might have otherwise come under the
influence of paramilitary organisations in the area
or been involved in recreational vandalism will be
enjoying their Space and the alternative activities
it promotes
-
Some of the youth involved will take an active part
in running the drop-in and co-facilitating its programmes
-
Local police will report an improvement in the behaviour
of young people, fewer teens from the area will be
in the criminal justice system, and probation orders
and truancy figures in local schools will begin to
fall
How
can you help us give teens Space?
We
have the use of a small coffee bar to run a pilot drop-in,
but we need capital funding to enable us to set the
programme on firm footing, in addition to assistance
with the youth worker salary, equipment, and other running
costs. The budget is outlined below, and any contribution
you can help us with will make a real difference to
struggling teens.
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