YouthBASE

Newcastle Youth Base

This is a new project which is being directly managed by YMCA Ireland in Newcastle Co Down. It has two distinct elements- work that is based in a youth centre and detached work that is carried on in local communities and in schools.

How was the need for the project first identified?

There has always been provision in Newcastle with a key focus being on the key area of targeted social need on the Castlewellan Road (Burrendale/Dunwellan and Burrenmeadow). Over a year ago the Education Authority identified that there was need for both a targeted area provision and a mainstream centre provision to encompass the wider Newcastle Area.

The Castlewellan Road in Newcastle has always been a hotspot for antisocial and risk taking behaviours. The aim of the full time area project was to support and engage young people in a range of personal and social development programmes as well as integrating them into the generic youth provision and drop ins.

What are the project’s aims or objectives?

The aims of the project is to support key TSN areas and the wider community through a variety of programmes and methodologies delivered and supported by a team of trained and professional youth workers and volunteers. The programmes are developed, based on assessment of need and inter-agency and community working. The project meets the needs through a full time area provision and part time youth centre provision. The programmes are youth focused and aim to support young people under section 75 to build resilience and work to their own strengths. Programmes include: accredited youth work and mentoring, Gender Based work, Youth Council, CRED work, Diversionary provision, health and well-being work, focus practice, Personal and social development, the outdoors, residential and exchange opportunities (based on funding), community work, detached estates based provision, youth work in schools, schools transition works and collaborative partnership working with external agencies including Youth Justice, PCSP, Alternative Education Programmes, Local sports bodies, Cara Friend and Lisburn YMCA

What were some of the highlights for the programme during the past year?

Some of the highlights include partnership and diversionary programmes being provided with a range of organisations. Securing of funding and backing from EA & National YMCA, securing and delivering projects in partnership with Youth Justice and Small Grants in the midst of working hard to set down our roots and be recognised as a new central youth provision.

How does your project try to capture or measure the outcomes for young people/the community?

Our project is very much engaged and centralised in the community. Ongoing outreach and detached work support our assessments as well as inter-agency working which forms a bigger and better picture. Young people are central and key to supporting the assessment which in turn will project our required outcomes. Youthbase was involved in an OBR (outcomes based reporting) pilot looking to develop a tool for measuring outcome and achievements. As our centre bases its systems in Google, it is the go to option for us.

We use the system to measure project success as well as individual achievements through online baselines and post baselines which link to the indicators. The system also collates and measures regular attendances of young people in the centre and area provision which also gives us a clearer picture of what works for young people and what is most effective in promoting and engaging attendance and participation.

What new challenges/opportunities has your project identified that it would hope to tackle in the future?

The new challenge is building a new team of volunteers and establishing the generic drop-in through new and wider recruitment. Staff have been working hard at profiling the centre over the summer through estate based events and school based summer schemes in August 2017.

Another challenge is securing additional monies for the centre and overall project but developmentally fundraising will be great for all involved.

New opportunities involve new partnerships and the development of a suite of Personal and Social development programmes which will be unique to Youth Base.