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YMCA Norfolk were recently granted £200,000 by Anguish Educational Foundation, following their application for a life coach scheme, allowing service users to access training and build up qualifications.

Originally offering a £200,000 to one charity, or £100,000 to two charities, Anguish decided to offer two grants of £200,000 to two different charities – totalling £400,000. Into Opera, a creative organisation working to engage people into opera through educational projects, were also awarded £200,000.

Chris Herries, Chair of Anguish’s Educational Foundation, said:

“We just couldn’t choose between these two excellent, life-changing projects and decided instead to double the budget.

“We asked for projects which would break negative cycles, and which would enable long-term positive change in the lives of young people – these two projects, in very different ways, will do that really well.”

The Anguish Grant Committee shortlisted YMCA Norfolk along with 4 other applicants among a total of 20 applications. Each shortlisted applicant was invited to a 45 minute conversation – where they discussed their future plans if awarded the grant (Anguish specifically asked applicants to not present their idea, but instead wanted a ‘conversation day’ with each shortlisted applicant).

YMCA Norfolk representatives, Tim Sweeting (CEO) and Susie Knights (Fundraising Manager) spoke about their plans for a 3-year life coach programme for their residents – in order to provide additional assistance to young people; setting life goals, creating tailored action plans and the opportunity to add qualifications to their CV.  

Tim Sweeting, YMCA Norfolk CEO, said:

“We are so pleased to receive this funding, which we will invest in breaking the cycle of homelessness for hundreds of young people.

“It has been a breath of fresh air to engage with the trustees of Anguish’s Educational Foundation through this streamlined process that enables more of our energy to go into enabling transformation in the lives of young people.”

Anguish’s Educational Foundation is part of the Norwich Charitable Trusts ( the group name for three ancient Norwich grant-making trusts: Anguish’s Educational Foundation, Norwich Consolidated Charities and the Norwich Freemen’s Charity.)  All three make grants both to individuals and to organisations based on their different Objects and Areas of Benefit.

David Hynes, Chief Executive of Norwich Charitable Trusts, said:

“This is the first time we’ve run a grants programme in this way.  We’re extremely pleased with the result and very excited to be working in partnership with Into Opera and the YMCA Norfolk. 

“Look out for a similar grants round next spring from one of our other two grant-making charities – Norwich Consolidated Charities.”

YMCA Norfolk were also granted an additional £15,000 from the same fund, to go towards their brand new Community Hub, set to launch next year.

Earlier this week six young people from YMCA Norfolk’s My Place accommodation assisted Onward Enterprises as part of their positive activities programme.

Onward Enterprises, based in Harleston, Norfolk, is a contract packaging and fulfilment company ‘with a difference’ – offering hands on industry-specific training to adults with disabilities. Across their two sites, they work with over 100 adults – providing a supported working environment for those who might usually struggle with the pressures of the industry.

Chelsea Howe, YMCA Norfolk Housing Engagement Worker, and Sharon Greener, Housing Manager, accompanied the young people from My Place to the warehouse, where they volunteered their time to support staff on the production line and engaged with employees.

Sharon said: “Each YMCA Norfolk young person was assigned to an adult, where they would work alongside one another throughout the day, undergoing various tasks. The young people clocked in and out as the employees did, so they had the full experience of working in a factory environment.”

“I was so proud of how our young people conducted themselves during their time at Onward Enterprises. They were given a great insight into the working environment of a production line and communicated well with all adults with learning difficulties. My aim was to show our residents that people struggling with all types of disabilities can flourish, and I think they definitely took this away with them.”

The group of young people attended the morning as part of their positive activities programme – an important way of engaging with the YMCA Norfolk service, in order to build a wide range of skills, and heighten their self-esteem before living independently.

Chelsea, YMCA staff member who is based at My Place, said: “Positives activities such as the visit to Onward Enterprises are really important for our young people because it teaches them empathy towards others, particularly those with learning difficulties or mental health problems. It also provides them with an element of training, should they wish to go into this industry.”

My Place residents have also been visiting Bowthorpe Care Village on a weekly basis, which is “a great way into care work and working with the elderly,” Chelsea added.

To find out more about our My Place accommodation, please click here.

Lorna Pearce, YMCA Norfolk Families Team Support Worker, walked a staggering 40 miles to raise money for the organisation’s young people and families over the course of two days.

The pilgrimage, which began in Norwich and finished in Walsingham, consisted of a 13-mile walk on Saturday 7 September and over 26 miles on Sunday.

Lorna expressed how the walk was extremely difficult at times, but was inspired by the hope of YMCA Norfolk’s young people and staff:

“I have been working for YMCA Norfolk for two years. Every day I see the way my colleagues help families and young people through their personal journeys and struggles, which fills me with a sense of hope and pride in the phenomenal work this great charity does,” she said.

Over the weekend, Lorna passed through several villages and towns throughout North Norfolk – each empowering her to continue her journey:

“I saw some beautiful views of the Norfolk countryside. Marriott’s Way (a 24-mile long footpath between Norwich and Aylsham) was the most pleasant part of the journey. I could imagine passengers riding along the train line all those years ago. Miles and miles of mud tracks surrounded by nature.

“I also met some lovely people on route, who restored my faith in the kindness of humanity; fellow travellers who tore pages from their atlas to help us when technology failed and passers-by who offered me plasters and bandages for my foot,” Lorna said.

So far, Lorna has raised £365.00 for YMCA Norfolk, but is appealing to the public and supporters to carrying on donating to her cause via her Virgin Giving Fundraising Page.

While Lorna is dedicating funds to YMCA Norfolk, she wanted to dedicate the spiritual aspect of the walk to her friend, Derek Barrell, who passed away a few days before the walk took place.

“I made it to the Slipper Chapel in Walsingham as the sun was setting on the Sunday. The candles outside were still alight and shone with the hopes and prayers of many other pilgrims. I prayed a little, cried a little, and felt a huge sense of achievement, knowing this part of my spiritual journey was over and the physical journey of this particular pilgrimage was also close to an end.

“It reminded me once again of a driving force that helped me make it through, my dear friend Derek Barrell, who I had dedicated the spiritual aspect of this walk. His physical journey on this earth was over, but his spiritual journey had just begun. I offered my prayers up for him and felt a great deal of hope. That hope is also present within the YMCA and the young people who we work with. That is why I dedicated my fundraising to this great cause.

“After this reflection, I walked the final mile or so into Walsingham village to a warm welcome at the Bull Inn and Elmham House Hostel,” Lorna said.

YMCA Norfolk want to thank Lorna for her ongoing commitment to transforming the lives of families across Norfolk and undergoing her amazing fundraising pilgrimage.

If you would like to fundraise for YMCA Norfolk and our life-changing services, please contact our fundraising and events officer, Judy, on judy.bailey@ymcanorfolk.org

All fundraisers for YMCA Norfolk will have the full support of our marketing and fundraising department in addition to branded resources.

A representative from UK Parliament, Sky Yarlett, visited YMCA Norfolk’s young people at our Central Housing in Norwich today to discuss how they can get their voice heard on the topics that matter the most to them. 

The UK Parliament Education and Engagement workshop took place between 11am-1pm and was open to all YMCA Norfolk young people who wanted to learn more about politics;  both on a national and local level.  

Sky spoke to the young people about the structure of the UK government, voting, the role of public services and how they can influence their local MPS to take action. Further topics included access to universal credit, tax, foreign aid and how Norwich and our local services can support young people. 

Sarah Caston, YMCA Central Housing Manager, said: “It was great to see some of our people so engaged in the political causes that really matter to them. I was really impressed with how well they contributed to the workshop and how respectful they were of one another’s views.

“Thanks so much to Sky who done a fantastic job at delivering the workshop – I’d highly recommend the session to other youth charities!”

Residents also took part in writing to your MPand campaigner skills activities, introducing them to different ways they can personally take part in the important conversations happening in Parliament every day. 

As a group, they practiced writing postcards to local MPs and representatives about topics such as flaws in the benefit system and creating more opportunities for young people to find meaningful, skills-enhancing employment in Norfolk. 

Kayleigh Smart, YMCA Norfolk Young Person, attended the workshop and said:“Today’s workshop was really helpful. I learnt lots about topics I didn’t know about – such as Brexit and the roles of different MPs.

“It was also a great platform to talk about how we can stop judgement towards deprived young people and families. I’m so glad I came – I’ve learnt so much!”

YMCA Norfolk runs a variety of positive activities and events for our young people throughout the year, from support and advice sessions to community engagement and youth provisions.

Find out more about UK Parliament’s Education and Engagement workshops here.

On 6 June 1844, 22-year-old draper George Williams joined 11 friends to organise the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking escape from the hazards of life on the streets of London.

This week, 175 years later, YMCA Norfolk staff attended a global youth event at the London ExCel Centre to celebrate YMCA’s landmark anniversary. The event – which ran from Sunday until Wednesday – hosted a wide range of exciting activities, concerts, forums and workshops; with attendees from over 120 different countries.

Tim Sweeting, YMCA Norfolk CEO, said: “YMCA175 gave our young leaders an experience of the breadth and depth of the oldest and largest youth organisation in the world.

“Impressive young leaders from across the globe inspired us with their stories of transforming communities and helped equip our team to bring lasting change to Norfolk.”

Each day of the four-day event started with young people telling their inspirational stories; demonstrating how young people are fronting change in communities all over the world. From YMCA youth leaders to high-profile advocates and media campaigners; individuals shared talks on how every one of us has the potential to unleash positive change.

Following a ‘daily kick-off,’ attendees then had the chance to grab a quick lunch before jumping straight into an afternoon where they chose their own agenda. They could take part in an array of different activities including interactive workshops, seminars, reflective learning spaces, and open forum sessions to problem-solve how young people and YMCA address global issues. There were also various training opportunities, hosted by keynote speakers and involved thought-provoking panel discussions surrounding issues such as the impact of climate change and the rise in mental health conditions.

Charlie Wall, Senior Youth Engagement Worker at YMCA Norfolk, attended the event along with Tim and five other staff members. Charlie said:

“YMCA175 was a unique chance that allowed YMCA Norfolk and the global YMCA family to come together at the birthplace of the youth charity’s origins and celebrate the amazing work we are doing.”

Charlie took full advantage of the amazing training opportunities on offer at the event: “At YMCA175, YMCA Germany and YMCA Springfield USA led the YMCA 175 Sports Leadership Award, which I had the opportunity to complete alongside my YMCA colleagues from all over the world. Within this training I was able to learn the importance of Mind, Body and Spirit and how we can link it to the health and wellbeing of the young people we support,” he added.

Throughout the four days there were also opportunities to feed into global research and participative sessions to highlight some of the biggest issues facing young people. These were available in a range of languages and a variety of accessible delivery methods, to accommodate for YMCA’s widespread global services.

Robert Canniffe, YMCA Norfolk Performance and Impact Officer, said: “I really enjoyed my time at YMCA 175! It was full of energy with sports, various workshops and evening celebrations. There were performances from the Saltmine Theatre Company doing extracts from their play on the founding of the YMCA and a YMCA choir called Choriosity  from Germany.

“There were a range of talks and workshops on climate change, mental health and history which I enjoyed. I met people from across the world including the USA, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.”

During the afternoon of each day, attendees could take the time to meet with friends and colleagues in the Plaza, interact with exhibitors and heritage experiences, or take part in a physical activity in the Health and Wellbeing space. Our YMCA Norfolk staff took full advantage of the fantastic sports on offer and participated in the likes of dodgeball and rock climbing, teaming up with colleagues from all over the world.

Catherine Watling, YMCA Norfolk Staff Development and Wellbeing Officer, said:

“The YMCA175 experience was eye opening on many levels. The 3,000 + attendees gave a true reflection on how far the YMCA movement stretches around the globe. It made me feel really proud to be a part of the YMCA.

“A strong message was echoed throughout the event that young people are the change makers, they have the power to take action, they are not the future, they are the present.

“I’ve come back to YMCA Norfolk enthused and excited with ideas and plans to take forward to play my part in giving a platform for young people to make a change and help deliver on the UN’s 17 SDG’s.”

Check out YMCA Norfolk’s social media pages for more photos of the event.

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Jade Prentice – our amazing Kick the Dust Youth Engagement Worker – is sadly moving on from YMCA to further her career in mental health. While we wish her all the best for the future, YMCA Norfolk wants to take this opportunity to showcase her fantastic work with the project over the last year. 

What is ‘Kick the Dust?’

‘Kick the Dust’ Norfolk is an exciting 4-year project supported by the National Lottery through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is aimed at young people aged 11-25 years of age to help them engage in heritage and to be more involved in having their voice present in Norfolk Museums Service.

At YMCA Norfolk we are working in Partnership with Norfolk Museums Service to help our residents become involved in this project and partake not only in fun and heritage-based activities, but to also have their voice shape the Museums service going forward; in turn offering volunteering, training and work placements. 

This is achieved through various levels of engagement; within YMCA we created a ‘Pre-Player’ Level, which are activities that are offered in our housing services across all sites (covering Norwich, Great Yarmouth & Kings Lynn) to help them engage in positive activities, learn new skills and make new friends.

The next level is ‘Player’, where the young person works with the Kick the Dust Project Worker and takes part in a range of activities within the Museum such as a tour of the dunegons or the Escape Room. In these sessions they also get a taste of different jobs within the Museums Sector by meeting professionals and getting involved in hands-on activities with them. 

After this we have the ‘Shaper’ level, which allows the young people to be more involved in directing and shaping the project. These people attend forums and discussions to influence not only how YMCA Norfolk offers sessions, but also the direction of Norfolk Museums Service when working with young people. 

A big part of the ‘Shaper’ level is also about young people volunteering at the museums and creating their own tours and exhibitions within the museums. Finally, we have the ‘Leader’ level which is where young people get involved in volunteering and work placements, which prepare them for Museum Apprenticeships & Traineeships which give people the opportunity to work at the museums whilst receiving qualifications and training.

The focus of this project is getting young people involved in Heritage & Arts, as well as educating them about the history of Norfolk.

Jade’s Journey with Kick the Dust Norfolk

Jade – who has worked with Kick the Dust for the last year – originally worked for YMCA on another project, and it was during this time that she learnt the importance of activities and engagement within YMCA’s housing services. While we believe a safe place to stay is of the utmost importance, positive activities and community engagement is also at the centre of YMCA Norfolk’s values. 

Jade said: “I liked the idea of working for Kick the Dust because it is very person-centred project; our young people’s voices are at the heart of the project, and that helps them remain engaged because it highlights the importance of their opinions and contribution to our community.

“I always want to work in a job where people’s voices are heard and valued, because that is how you make someone feel accepted and appreciated.”

Jade said she has noticed a huge transition in the young people who have taken part in the project, with many feeling more welcome and accepted in local museums and heritage sites:

“When we started this project I remember young people saying that they felt they could not go into a museum because of who they were, but through this project they have been given the opportunity to; and they have learnt that history and heritage is all around us. It has really illustrated the amazing history of Norfolk, and what their personal heritage is too.

“It has also illustrated how interested young people are in history. When asked what they would like to do for activities within this project, most of them always say how they would like to go back and live like people did in the war and before technology, so they could understand different points of view from different age groups.

“It has shown to me that young people want time away from technology and to spend time in the world just being,” Jade added.

Transforming Young Lives

In addition to learning about heritage and history, Jade and Kick the Dust’s young people have also helped to co-ordinate the YMCA 175 Exhibition & Roadshow, which is travelling across the UK, and will come to Norwich in February 2020. This has not only enhanced historical knowledge surrounding the YMCA, but also encouraged young people to use their research skills to gather information to be used in the exhibition. 

Gary, a YMCA Norfolk young person who has taken part in Kick the Dust, said: “the project has opened me up to new possibilities and made me realise everything I am capable of.”

Gary is actively engaged with the YAB in Great Yarmouth and does a lot of project work with MAP, but he says that Kick the Dust has given him the opportunity to partake in YMCA and made him settle into the environment a lot more. 

“I can’t pick out my favourite memory with Kick the Dust, all of it has been great so far. It has given me opportunities to always have fun and keep smiling, even when I’ve had a bad day. My engagement with Kick the Dust has also meant I’ve built lots of new friendships,” Gary added.

Jade – who supported Gary’s engagement – said her highlight of working on the project has been seeing a huge change in the confidence of the young people she worked with:

“Some young people I have worked with on this project suffered with such low confidence and anxiety, and after partaking in some activities within YMCA they then feel confident enough to go to the Museum and to then attend Forums and voice what they would like to do. 

“To see young people travel through the levels of Kick the Dust has been so rewarding, because you see them grow in their confidence and realise what they are capable of. To see young people learn new skills and be amazed at what they can do will always be the most fulfilling part of this job.

“It has also been so rewarding as well to work closely with amazing teams throughout Norfolk and to learn the work the Museums do with different groups of young people. It is nice to see Norfolk Museums Service open to hearing young people’s voices and see the importance of this project.”

We wish Jade all the best for the future, and can’t thank her enough for her outstanding contribution to YMCA Norfolk and our partnership projects. 

If you’d like to find out more about you can take part in Kick the Dust, please click here.