LATEST NEWS

Jade Crowe, Senior Life Ready Coach for YMCA Norfolk, recently worked with a team of education professionals to write and publish research for the National Education Union.

The publication discusses alternate approaches to engaging young and adult learners in training and education, particularly those outside of mainstream education, using YMCA Norfolk’s Life Ready programme as a case study.

Life Ready is a project run by YMCA Norfolk across the charity’s housing services and youth provisions, with a focus on supporting participants on their journey towards independent living through learning valuable life skills.

As a training and education project, the young people involved in the programme have a diverse background, therefore the project has a very person-centred approach; ideal for evaluating for research purposes.

The programme is spilt into three smaller projects consisting of Life Ready Norwich, operating in the Norwich Housing Services; Life Ready Great Yarmouth, operating in YMCA Norfolk’s Great Yarmouth provisions, and Life Ready Gardening, a project focused on constructing the organisation’s housing site’s garden and educating participants on living a greener lifestyle and being more environmentally aware.

Courses and qualifications are tailored around participants individual aspirations, needs and career paths, and can be delivered both in-house and through external providers such as ASDAN.

In relation to the National Education Union research carried out, Life Ready was used to identify and evaluate new approaches to informal learning in light of the pandemic:

“If ever there was a time for doing things different it is now. Covid-19 is crying out for an engagement or re-engagement programme which should be assignment-based and focused on the learner rather than on set, weekly sessions.

It is a tailored learning resource, based on agreed, realistic targets that take account of the needs of each individual learner,” the report notes in its conclusion.

Download and read the full publication here.

YMCA Norfolk were presented with the Blue Plaque award on 20^th April given in recognition of their resilience throughout the Covid-19 crisis by Lord Dannatt on behalf of Her Majesty’s representative in Norfolk, The Lord Lieutenant, Lady Dannatt.

The receiving of the award ties in with the charity’s anniversary, celebrating the opening of their Aylsham Road community hub, 1 year ago, which has welcomed over 16,000 customers from the local community since opening its doors in April 2021.

Lord Dannatt, Deputy Lieutenant and YMCA Norfolk President, presented the youth charity with their Blue Plaque award along with Deputy Lieutenant, The Reverend Matthew Hutton. 

“There has been a tremendous amount of coming together and helping others over the last two years across Norfolk. The trustees, staff and volunteers of YMCA Norfolk have pulled together to deliver and improve their services through very difficult circumstances.

“Post-pandemic, it is right to remember just how communities worked together during these challenging times, which is why we are presenting YMCA Norfolk with the Blue Plaque Award on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen and her Norfolk representative, the Lord Lieutenant, Lady Dannatt,” he said.

He spoke of how he was excited to present the award at the YMCA Norfolk Aylsham Road hub, and how pleased he was to see it being actively used to benefit the local community.

In the last year the community centre has hosted a range of fundraising events, parent and baby wellbeing groups, youth clubs, training courses as well as catering functions and children’s parties.

Williams’ Kitchen Café and Explorers Soft Play has proved to be a hit among the local community.  Due to its popularity, the organisation continues to expand its team of staff members as it looks to recruit nursery nurses, a café chef, as well as positions across the charity’s frontline delivery.

John Lee, YMCA Norfolk CEO, said:

“It was our staff’s dedication and willingness to work in an arena with unknown risks, where the rules were constantly changing and where they had to enforce the rules which enabled our services to run as well as they did.

“The biggest testimony is that in our last residents survey 93% of them said they felt safe whilst living with us.  “As we look forward to the future, it is an extremely exciting time for YMCA Norfolk as we increase the range of services we offer while investing in new opportunities – such as the community hub – to generate income to fund our vital frontline work supporting vulnerable young people and families in Norfolk.”

Receiving a number of five star reviews, the café and soft play has been praised by customers as a “clean and fresh venue” for children’s parties, a “convenient set up on Aylsham road with friendly staff” and a “wonderful space for children to play, good outdoor space with delicious baked goods.”

Mr. Lee added: “The success of our new centre highlights its need in the Norwich area, as well as the importance of offering an affordable, family-friendly environment for the local community to enjoy.”

The centre also features an Ofsted-registered nursery, Muddy Puddles, which is continuously welcoming new babies and pre-schoolers to its exciting new childcare facilities. Due to demand, the nursery currently has a waitlist and over 90 children enrolled and are therefore seeking level 2 and 3 qualified nursery nurses to join its experienced team.

In addition to recruiting nursery nurses for Muddy Puddles, YMCA Norfolk are also currently looking to welcome two new trustees to their board, to offer further experience and strategic direction to the executive team and existing team of passionate trustees.

For further information on vacancies currently available with YMCA Norfolk, based at the community hub and across their county-wide operations, please visit: www.ymcanorfolk.org/working-for-us or email our HR team on careers@ymcanorfolk.org

YMCA England and Wales have launched a national ‘D£VALUED’ report this week, highlighting the impact of a decade of cuts on youth services and analysing the effects over the past ten years.

The report looks not only at the national picture but also the regions where young people have been most affected in recent years. It also includes, for the first time, analysis on how widely spend per 5- to-17-year-old differs across local authorities, exposing the disparity in opportunities available for them depending on where they live.

Research reveals that not only have funding cuts now reached £1.1bn (a real-terms fall of 74% since 2010/11) but annual spend per head on 5-to-17-year-olds in England has plummeted from £158 in 2010/11 to just £37 in 2020/21. 

As the longest provider of youth services in England and Wales, YMCA has tracked the real-terms decline in youth services funding over the past several years. However, the latest figures from 2020/21 are especially significant in not only highlighting the fallout from a global pandemic, but also the harsh reality of a generation experiencing devastating cuts.

From a regional perspective, the difference in location is substantial. Those less acutely affected in the East of England saw funding fall in real-terms by 63% and by 68% in Outer London since 2010/11. Comparatively however, expenditure has fallen in real-terms by 88% in the West Midlands, 83% in the North East and 77% in the South East.

In addition to cuts in spending to youth services, young people have spent the past two years adjusting to periods of staying at home, limited social interaction, education anxieties, and a whole host of worries. Simultaneously for the sector, the pandemic meant a shift in how youth services operated, placing significant pressure on their ability to support young people through these difficult transitions.

However, YMCA Norfolk were able to adapt and extend their delivery across their services, including the transition of youth clubs to online platforms and meet a rise in the demand for mental health support services.

John Lee, YMCA Norfolk CEO, said:

“D£VALUED recognises that East of England is one of the areas in the UK with the lowest investment in youth services. The report also highlights a dramatic fall in funding in Norfolk over the last 10 years. This is at a time when the challenges faced by young people are increasing, including accessing support because of long waiting lists or a lack of services where they live.

“Many providers of youth services only have access to short term funding, often for a year at a time making it incredibly difficult to run services sustainably. Youth services, support and advice are essential for young people and need to be valued as such. An investment into Norfolk’s young people is an investment into the future of our county.”

As the Government to address this issue through the youth investment fund, YMCAs across the country are urging them to unlock further finance for areas in most critical need, thereby breathing new life into this vital sector through targeted programmes, universal youth services and experienced youth workers across England and Wales.

Charlie Smith, YMCA Norfolk Youth and Communities Team Partnerships Manager, said:

“All young people deserve access to the services capable of empowering them to achieve a bright future. We cannot let location, background or any other factors dictate these opportunities, and we must no longer expect youth service providers to remain in survival mode as long-term funding streams continue to be squeezed.

“While we are extremely grateful for the relationships and support we currently receive from local government, funders and partners in Norfolk and beyond, crucial and proportional investment is needed to ensure all young people have equal opportunities, especially as we emerge from such a difficult two years.”

ENDS

For more information or interview requests, please contact harriet.king@ymcanorfolk.org

*A full report including graphs, tables and local authority spend is available on request.

What is run Norwich?

Run Norwich is an award winning 10km road race, organised by the NCFC Community Sports Foundation that takes place in the heart of Norwich’s beautiful and historic city centre. Run Norwich will make its eagerly anticipated return on Sunday 17^th July 2022 after two years of postponement due to Covid-19.

As a partner charity for Run Norwich 2022 we are thrilled we can offer 30 places to runners who will commit to raising a minimum of £150 which will enable us to continue with the vital services we provide. In return we can offer a race shirt and support along the way, a fundraising pack, including sponsor forms, and help with linking online fundraising to our YMCA fundraising site. You could even win one of our incentives to encourage you!

To apply for one of our charity places you will need to commit to raise a minimum of £150 by 22^nd May and be available to take part on the race day. You can apply for one of our places by completing this form.  If you have any questions email Judy –  judy.bailey@ymcanorfolk.org. 

For further race information and rules please follow the link: www.runnorwich.co.uk

YMCA Norfolk is part of the oldest youth charity in the world but we are completely autonomous and solely responsible for raising our own funding which is used to carry out the services we offer to vulnerable young people and families in Norfolk.

Why run for us?

In the last year alone, YMCA Norfolk has provided a safe and secure home to 381 young people, intensive family support to 292 families via our Families Team and provided 413 counselling sessions.

Our mission is to inspire young people to discover their potential so that they can live life in all its fullness. We provide accommodation and support to help people towards independent living whilst also providing employment, training and workplace experience through our social enterprises and employability projects.

You can find out more about Run Norwich on the Run Norwich website and you can keep up to date by following the Run Norwich social media channels too:  Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Search for the event hashtag: #RN22666