Youth Led Delivery Solutions Toolkits

Youth Led Delivery Solutions Conference

3rd October 2007. One Great George Street, Westminster London

Disabled and Non-disabled Young People Working Together. By Abby Oatway

Aim
The aims of this programme is to provide disabled and non-disabled young people with the opportunity to socialise together on a regular basis; to explore issues that may affect their everyday lives; and to develop inclusive practice through reflection and action..

The overall objectives of the programme are to:

• Discuss and explore issues that young people face such as independence, communication and needs

• Develop knowledge and understanding of the issues that disabled people may face in their day to day lives

• Identify factors which results in inclusive youth work

• Demonstrate improved social skills and confidence through attendance and participation in the programme

• Demonstrate team work and organisational skills through planning their own activities

• Offer young people the chance to evidence their learning and recognise their achievements throughout the project through Youth Achievement Awards

Young Men, Understanding, Fatherhood. By Andrew Cummings

Background issues

UK Youth’s work with young men to look at issues around fatherhood began around 2002. Since then various approaches to this topic have been piloted. Some of the groups that have set out to work with young men on these issues have struggled to attract interest, whilst others have flourished! The pilot groups worked in a variety of settings with a wide range of young men. The settings included prisons and YOIs, pupil referral units, leaving care services, council estates and parenting projects. The ideas in this toolkit are based on materials, ideas and feedback from each of these groups.

Topics covered

Although the settings, target groups and approaches varied from project to project, all of the groups set out to work with young men in order to find new ways to engage them in exploring their futures, and in particular the types of relationships they would like to have – with their partners, their peers and their children. The topics covered in this toolkit include:

• Knowing ourselves and others

• Understanding our beliefs and values

• Problem solving and risk taking

• What it means to be a man

• Relationships

• Sex and sexual health

• What babies need

• Being a good dad

• Dads and the law

• Safety and first aid
  

Background
The Young Mothers Building Independence programme was designed to be accessible and relevant to young mums, addressing their personal support needs while encouraging them to participate in an accredited learning programme that supports progression to further learning, training and employment opportunities. The programme aims to develop learner confidence, basic skills, communication, group work skills and positive peer relationships while focussing on issues of interest and concern to young mothers. While the programme is designed to be a tutored programme that is accredited by the Open College Network (OCN), it can also be followed or adapted as a group work programme without OCN accreditation, or can be accredited via other schemes such as the Youth Achievement Awards.

Both young mums groups developed new materials for units of the Open College Network (OCN) programme, Young Mothers Learning, which was originally developed by UK Youth in partnership with the Workers Educational Association. There are four units to this 40-hour tutored programme: Understanding Young Motherhood; Managing Families, Parenting and Stereotypes; Getting a voice – group work skills, and an integrated ITC unit. For more details about OCN and the accreditation, see Appendix V2.

Young People Creating Better Places to Live. By Wendy Sugarman

Overall Aim:

The overall aim of the programme is to engage young people in action to improve the quality and safety of their local built environment.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this project participants will:

• Understand danger and safety issues affecting them and others in the built environment
• Have skills in safety audit and mapping work
• Identify areas for change that affect the quality of life and safety of young people or other community groups
• Understand the changes they can campaign for within their built environment
• Present and showcase the changes they are looking to make to the built environment
• Be engaging in discussions with stakeholders from a range of services about aspects of the built environment
• Deliver a campaign for change
• Be more confident in public speaking and putting their views across

Aim
The aim of this programme is to provide young people with a sound basis upon which to become involved in participation and decision making. The programme introduces young people to the principles of youth participation, and explores some of the key issues that influence the success of young people’s involvement in decision making bodies and processes.

The themes and topics covered in this programme include:

• What is youth participation?

• Understanding our values and choices

• Types of youth participation

• Human Rights and Youth Rights

• Team work and problem solving

• Communicating and handling conflict

• Types of decision making

• Meetings and committees

• Support from workers and organisations

• Planning for our group