LATEST NEWS

Two teams from YMCA Norfolk were presented national awards at the annual Youth Matters Awards in London on Friday evening; held at the Grand Sheraton Hotel hosted by YMCA England and Wales.

With only 15 awards up for grabs on the night, YMCA Norfolk walked away with Training and Education Project of the Year and Families Project of the Year – among a staggering 101 YMCAs across England and Wales.

The YMCA Norfolk Families and Communities Team were awarded for their exceptional dedication to supporting families across Norfolk; and were congratulated for stepping up significantly in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The team were titled ‘Family Project of the Year’ after being shortlisted back in July 2021. They have delivered over 7,000 hours of support through rapid response/return alone, supporting 393 families in crisis.  

Additionally, they have worked hard to continue to house and support single parents in YMCA Norfolk’s Umbrella Housing services, providing a safe and secure environment for their children providing additional support, food parcels, additional parenting support and ensuring the best opportunity to sustain change. 

Collecting the award on behalf of the team was Esther Nixon, Senior Wellbeing Engagement Worker, and Kendal Cullabine, Families Team Business Support Officer.

In addition to Family Project of the Year, YMCA Norfolk’s E-learning Service were also successful on the night – awarded as ‘Education and Training Project of the Year.’

Despite a challenging year for young people, the E-learning service provided specialist education to 175 students; ensuring they maintained their interest in learning throughout tough times.

Unlike most other online education companies, the E-Learning Service offers bespoke provision for individual students based on their learning needs, ability levels and school course. As a result of their industry leading services for young people, the team were recognised as category winners at the national awards ceremony – not only but the public but also by a panel of judges.

Jamie Holland, E-Learning Service Principal, and Ruth Duma, E-Learning Service Administrator, collected the award on behalf of the team.

John Lee, YMCA Norfolk CEO, who attended the awards evening said:

“It was fantastic to see the hard work and expertise of our Families and E-Learning teams recognised at the national Youth Matters Awards. Our teams were up against some incredibly inspiring finalists and to win 2 awards is unprecedented for YMCA Norfolk. It is a great testament to all of the team members involved.”

Muddy Puddles Nursery, part of YMCA Norfolk, welcomed new nursery children in April 2021 and has since been rapidly expanding and gaining a brilliant reputation across Norfolk.

The nursery are now looking to expand their team in line with new childcare placements from January 2022, seeking staff with a level 2 or 3 childcare qualifcation.

The nursery is hosting a recruitment morning on Saturday November 13, 9.30am-12.30pm, at 61a Aylsham Road, Norwich, NR3 2HF, where those interested in a career in childcare are invited to meet the team and see the fantastic facilities.

Drop ins are welcome throughout the morning and application forms and job descriptions will be made available to those interested in joining the team.

Staff benefits for those who are successful at recruitment stage include ongoing development and training opportunities, life assurance, discount at YMCA Norfolk’s catering facilities including Williams’ Kitchen, staff discount at the nursery, health and wellbeing support, a health shield cash plan, and much more.

To see our nursery nurse job description, please click here.

To find out more about Muddy Puddles Nursery, please click here to see our website.

If you have any further questions surrounding the recruitment morning, please email our events officer, Judy, on judy.bailey@ymcanorfolk.org

Starting on World Mental Health Day (10 October), YMCA Norfolk is urging everyone across Norfolk to break the silence over mental health by initiating small but meaningful conversations with friends, colleagues and even strangers as part of their Small Talks, Big Difference initiative.
               

Everyone struggles at times with their mental health, especially over the past 18 months, and yet speaking openly about it can still feel like an extremely daunting prospect. To help make this a little easier, YMCA Norfolk are asking people to take 15 minutes of their day this October for Tea Talks, and have devised a simple T.A.L.K. plan to kick things off:
               

Take the time to engage and check in with those around you; Ask twice about how they are feeling to break through the common ‘I’m fine’ response; Learn to listen by being patient and don’t cut people off; and Keep it up –don’t stop after one chat, keep checking in with each other. Click here to find the full T.A.L.K method.
               

As part of their T.A.L.K. plan, packages will be available for Tea Talks in local YMCAs across England and Wales, including tea bags and key cards with questions and tips for initiating and progressing positive small talks to help tackle the big issue of mental health.
               

Viki Bainsfair, Wellbeing Engagement Worker for YMCA Norfolk said: “Mental health means different things to different people, but a resounding and uniting element is the need for support, openness, and continued work to remove the stigma from one of the most debilitating illnesses affecting so many people right now. “We are proud to be promoting this campaign to the wider local community. As part of the work that we already do, we are excited to be sharing this message and guidance with local partners through William’s Kitchen and our residences across Norfolk. Our staff across YMCA Norfolk are also encouraged to participate, including leadership who will be implementing Tea and Talks into their meetings.
               

“Small Talks is about breaking down barriers and breaking the silence in order to do just that. In taking the time to have these conversations and ensure that we all make ourselves available to listen, everyone can have a positive impact on the mental health of those around them.
               

“Through our Tea Talks and T.A.L.K. guide, YMCA Norfolk is encouraging people to check in regularly, creating a vital support network of people to help lighten the load, not just on World Mental Health Day, but all year round.”
               

Alongside their usual work with young people – such as Men’s Walk and Talk with residents through partner program On Track, YMCA Norfolk staff are set to deliver workshops dealing with mental health, including a webinar hosted by AQA and a wellbeing day with the pupils of Springwood Academy.
               

YMCA Norfolk addresses a range of issues facing young people and families across the county, from accommodation and workshops to simply someone to talk to or a helping hand. The 341 young residents and 290 families helped and housed by the organisation in the last year have taken part in thousands of sessions, with 99% of residents feeling able to talk to staff about their wellbeing and concerns. Small Talks aims to broaden this umbrella and spark positive discussion in the wider community.

YMCA England and Wales research into government figures today reveals the true extent of potential damage to some of the most vulnerable among the 918,000* young people currently claiming Universal Credit if the £20 a week uplift is removed on 6 October.

For a young person leaving supported accommodation and relying on Universal Credit, there are typically three housing options: social, shared or one-bedroom accommodation. While the current uplift provides more opportunity to find the best fit for each individual, after that £20 is removed the only viable option for many young people is shared housing – an option often not suited to those with complex lives.

This loss to finances means the difference between generating debt and breaking even, with these figures not taking into account necessities like travel, food and prescriptions.**

When looking at the end of the uplift in relation to employment, government thinking suggests that its removal would inspire a spike in those looking to secure work, however figures for those aged 16-to-24 suggest a high uptake already. More than a third (38%) of 16-to-24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit are employed, with the employment rate in this age range rising significantly between April and June 2021.

What is clear from YMCA research is the stark difference the uplift makes in relation to earnings once bare essentials and daily costs are considered, with young people on low income typically finding themselves priced out of anything past necessity. And for those on Universal Credit and not in employment, affording even essential items after rent and bills can already lead to shortfalls, often meaning financial arrears, reliance on food banks or even skipping meals. Once the £20 uplift is removed, many more young people in this situation risk being pushed beyond the breadline and even further into debt.

John Lee Chief Executive of YMCA Norfolk said:

“For many vulnerable 16-to-24-year-olds, the uplift means that their vital monthly lifeline of £257 – which is already lower than their 25+ counterparts – is boosted significantly by £87 at a critical time in their lives. By removing the uplift, the choices a young person has when moving out of supported housing narrow dramatically, impacting the type of accommodation they can move in to, access to employment opportunities, and whether they can afford necessities.”

“While YMCA Norfolk appreciates that difficult decisions must be made in order to support the economic recovery of the country after a traumatic time, the removal of this lifeline will make it substantially harder for young people to move out of supported housing and become independent.

“YMCA Norfolk is asking the Government to maintain the £20 weekly uplift to ensure young people striving for independent living are able to do so while pursuing a career or learning opportunities – without an increased risk of falling into debt. The choice should never be one or the other.”

YMCA Norfolk have recently announced their plans to host a number of events at their brand-new Aylsham Road community hub, which consists of Williams’ Kitchen, Explorers Soft Play, Muddy Puddles Nursery and staff HQ. 

Kicking off with a Careers and Coffee morning on Wednesday 22^nd September, YMCA Norfolk’s friendly café, childcare, families and youth team will be at Williams’ Kitchen to chat with the public about the number of fantastic job roles available with the charity. Starting at 9.30am until 12pm, the charity welcomes anyone interested in working for them to pop along for a coffee and informal chat with staff members.

Lisa Xuereb, YMCA Norfolk HR Manager, said:

“As an organisation that is always expanding, we are keen to promote our fantastic recruitment opportunities to the Norwich community at our Coffee and Careers morning this September.

“We want to provide the public and job-seekers the chance to chat to staff members from a number of teams across YMCA Norfolk, and learn more about the day-to-day tasks each team undertakes.

“We are proud to offer a number of training and development opportunities, as well as some brilliant staff benefits, and pride ourselves on our staff feedback – of which 99% of almost 100 staff members think we’re a good employer.”

YMCA Norfolk recruited a number of new staff members earlier this year, in line with the hub’s official opening on 12^th April 2021. Keen to offer the Norfolk community job opportunities post-pandemic, 20 positions were filled at the new facility.

Due to the popularity of the café, soft play and nursery, the charity is now seeking to recruit more staff at the Aylsham Road centre, as well as further roles across their families, youth and housing teams – which operate across the Norfolk county.

Further events set to be held at the hub – which is based just a 5 minute drive from Norwich city centre –  include the Charity Quiz Night on Thursday 23^rd September, and the Christmas 2021 Norwich Craft Fayre on Saturday 27^th November, providing a wonderful opportunity to purchase locally made gifts.

YMCA Norfolk Events Coordinator, Judy Bailey, said:

“We are so excited to be able to utilise our fantastic new community hub to host a range of events for the area. The Careers and Coffee morning will be a great way to re-introduce our face-to-face events post a tough and unpredictable 18 months due to the pandemic.

“Our events schedule has always proven to be popular with our supporters, and we can’t wait to meet some new faces as we welcome back our regular events such as our Charity Quiz Night, in addition to new events such as our Christmas & Craft Fayre.

“Williams’ Kitchen and the facilities at YMCA Aylsham Road makes for the perfect space for community events, offering a spacious, clean and friendly environment with the option to purchase delicious food and drink from our on-site café.”

For more information on our events schedule please email judy.bailey@ymcanorfolk.org