YOUTH INVESTMENT FUND AWARD FOR LEVEL TWO YOUTH PROJECT FELIXSTOWE (2017)
The Level Two Youth Project is delighted to announce an award from the Youth Investment Fund towards new work and also to enhance some current provision.
The Youth Investment Fund were offering grants to youth organisations to deliver, expand and create high quality youth provision. The Youth Investment Fund supports voluntary, community and social enterprise youth organisations to deliver, expand and create high quality local youth provision in targeted communities across England. Successful applicants can be funded up until 2020, which allows them to invest and plan for the future.
Level Two Youth Project “Promotes the welfare of young people (7-25) through supportive relationships and positive experiences designed to enhance their personal and social development.”
Level Two Youth Project has been awarded a grant of £174,490 over 3 years for :-
- Additional staffing at our open access sessions to ensure that a youth worker is available for any young person needing one to one support within the session.
- To develop local mobile/outreach provision including the Trimley Villages and Kirton.
- Increase our age range to allow early intervention work with children from age 7. We are creating a new service working closely with the 7 primary schools with a regular drop-in surgeries, one to one and small group support.
- Offer some weekend sessions on art/ drama/music.
Shez Hopkins, Project Manager says “We are thrilled to have been awarded this grant and are excited about what it will enable us to offer young people. We are now in our 16th year, and over the last 4 years our Project has developed from being a small youth club into a comprehensive youth service. Research shows a close link between poverty and poor health & wellbeing. In parts of Felixstowe 1 in 4 children are living in income poverty. Promoting healthy lifestyles and self-care is a key priority in Suffolk County Council plans for Children & Young People. Our own young people with whom we currently work have identified mental health and wellbeing as particular areas of concern and interest. We are delighted that the Youth Investment Fund will enable us to enhance and expand our work in these areas. ”
Level Two Youth Project is a respected and well established local youth provision. In 2016 784 individual young people accessed our provision with total contacts of 7493. Already during 2017 we have had 636 different individuals and total no. of contacts of 5643.
Level Two provides facilities and support for young people in Felixstowe. Our youth hub is based above Tesco in Felixstowe town centre.
Our Project provides a range of services for young people. The daytime provision supports work with young people at risk of exclusion from school, young unemployed, and teenagers in need of support through well-being mentoring. Our detached youth workers regularly meet with young people out and about our town and villages. We hold weekly school-based drop-in sessions at Felixstowe Academy and are expanding this out to the seven local Junior Schools. Level Two offers after-school and holiday activities. Our early intervention topic room aims to educate and raise awareness on a wide range of topics. Promoting health and wellbeing is very important to us, and our youth hub includes facilities for this as well as social activities, a creative arts room, I.T. facilities and a kitchen area where young people can learn to cook. Our Programme content is responsive to locally identified needs and feedback from young people and we are here for ALL local young people.
For further information contact Shez on 01394-272521 or visit our website www.leveltwo.org. Also follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/leveltwoyouthproject/
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Level Two Youth Project is delighted to announce an award from the Big Lottery to fund an expansion of its work. This new project is entitled “Felixstowe Young People Healthier and more Active.”
Level Two Youth Project has been awarded a grant of £371,522 over a five year period to fully fund new project work as described below.
This new early intervention programme will engage young people in fun and challenging activities designed to enhance Mental & Physical well-being, and equip them to participate more fully in their communities. Topics covered will include: – Mental Health – looking at the effects & triggers of Self-Harm, distorted Body Image, Anxiety & Stress. Physical Health – Sport & Exercise, First Aid, Sexual Health, Addiction & substance Misuse. Community Involvement – Personal Safety, E-Safety, Relationships, Volunteering & Environmental Awareness. Extra provision for one to one mentoring will support the most vulnerable young people.
Project Manager Shez Southernwood says “Research shows a close link between poverty and poor health & wellbeing. In parts of Felixstowe 1 in 4 children are living in income poverty. Promoting healthy lifestyles and self-care is a key priority in Suffolk County Council plans for Children & Young People. Our own young people with whom we currently work have identified as concerns many of the topics that our project will cover. We are delighted that the Big Lottery award will fully fund our new project to address these concerns”
Read the full Ipswich Star article here Ipswich Star Article.
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