Network Annual Report 2014 - Forest Youth Workers Network
Transcription
Network Annual Report 2014 - Forest Youth Workers Network
FF O O R R E E S S TT NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT 2013 – 2014 *** O O FF *** D D E E A A N N *** Y Y O O U U TT H H Charity number: 1103006 OUR MISSION : The Youth Workers' Network works with youth groups to ensure high quality and safe provision, that offers fun, raises aspirations and improves opportunities and outcomes for young people living in the Forest of Dean. Youth Forum members sleeping out to raise funds for Gloucestershire Nightstop – a charity helping homeless young people *** W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' *** N N E E TT W W O O R R K K The Main Place, Old Station Way, COLEFORD Glos GL16 8RH. 01594 839191 [email protected] www.forestyouthworkersnetwork.org.uk www.forestyouthforum.org.uk BLOG address - www.forestyouthforum.wordpress.com 1 FF O O R R E E S S TT O O FF D D E E A A N N Y Y O O U U TT H H W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' N N E E TT W W O O R R K K CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME Given the Board of Trustee’s proposal being put to this year’s AGM to close the Network charity at the end of March 2015, it is quite a painful task to look back over the last year and thus be reminded of all the good things that we have yet again achieved through the inspiration and commitment of our wonderful staff, Katie and Shari, and the enthusiastic young members of our Youth Forum. I am, as ever, very grateful to each of them for their professionalism, fun and hard work. I particularly congratulate the Youth Forum – and Katie – for their support of homeless young people and the sleep-out in not great weather to raise funds for Gloucestershire Nightstop. At last year’s AGM in November 2013 members discussed the issues then raised by Trustees around our inability to attract sufficient funding, to recruit active Trustees or secure member / young people participation in the current economic climate and as a consequence of the loss of much youth provision in the Forest. Members were reluctant to approve drastic decision making at that point but acknowledged the difficult issues and sought more time. At that point the Forest of Dean District Council expressed alarm about the prospect of the Network – and thus the Youth Forum – closing and proposed a substantial funding package to ensure that we continued to operate with core services for the full 2014/15 financial year. This unexpected level of support has been very much appreciated and, on behalf of all Network Trustees, I should like to put on record our gratitude to District and County Council Officers and Members for their recognition of the work we have achieved and their real efforts to help us through difficult times. Since April this year, a revised Service Level Agreement has enabled Shari to continue to coordinate a range of high quality training opportunities for members and young people, whilst a grant from the Mid-Counties Cooperative has paid for trainers’ fees and expenses. Shari has managed to maintain this programme whilst working only 6 hours a week with us. Her reduced hours have meant that the focus on developing the Swap Shop was taken into ‘core work’, with gentle encouragement, rather than proactive co-ordination of swaps between member groups. Katie’s working hours were also reduced during the year but her focus has remained on supporting the Youth Forum activities – see the full report on pages 4 - 6. She also assumed responsibility for progressing the Network Action Team – renamed Youth Reps – a project that was outlined last year. Although a number of young people expressed interest in the project and particularly in contributing events for young people across the district, this initiative has struggled to ‘take off’. Trustees have had to decide to return the unspent balance to the Lottery’s Awards for All. Similarly troublesome, the Youth Parish Council work – aiming to support young people in the rural areas to establish provision and activities in their local community – has also been curtailed this year. A full report was prepared to explain the issues, particularly in engaging adults to help enthusiastic young people in their communities, for both funders, the District Council and the Summerfield Trust. The sad news for the Network, though an excellent situation for Katie, is that she resigned from the Network at the end of August in order to devote her time to the private young people’s counselling work, which has proved to be so much in demand that she can no longer juggle this with her Network role. Katie has been such a breath of fresh air, creative, committed and great to work with. We shall miss her but wish the best of futures. Whatever happens at this year’s AGM, this will be the last Annual Report from me; I shall feel somewhat bereft. If members confirm the closure proposal after March, it will feel so sad that we cannot continue to provide our young people in the Forest with the fun, challenges and innovative and meaningful opportunities that give them a head start in life… but, at the same time, we must be very proud of what we have achieved over last 13 years. I am still in touch with many former Youth Forum members and it makes my heart swell to hear how their time with us made a genuine difference in so many ways to their career paths and personal growth. I am proud also that we have been a backbone to the Forest youth sector for the past decade, helping to ensure that youth work in the Forest has been delivered safely and to high quality and with a support network for new staff and volunteers. It is a new era now and I wish you all the very best. Jane Jarman, Chairman 2 …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES FF O O R R E E S S TT O O FF D D E E A A N N Y Y O O U U TT H H W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' N N E E TT W W O O R R K K NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS - TRAINING 2013-2014 This has been another successful year for the Network’s training programme for youth workers. We have continued to provide the staple offerings of Food Safety, Safeguarding and First Aid training, which are always valuable to voluntary youth groups in particular. We have also had training on a range of new, interesting and challenging topics including Self-Harm, Eating Disorders, Funding, Mental Health, and E-Safety. As always, we have regularly consulted with member groups, and given them the option to request what training they would like. This year we instigated a new policy of charging for non-attendance proportionally to the overall cost of the particular course, as opposed to the flat rate of £5 for attendance. This has helped to improve the overall attendance rate to 97%, from 82% the previous year. Thank you to everyone who has made the extra effort to attend, or notify us with some advance warning if they find they are unable to make it. A total of 124 training places were taken in the period from November 2013 to July 2014, which represented a total of 72 individuals. Sadly we had very poor attendance at our Campaign workshop for young people in December 2013, which led to a lull in the young person’s training provision, and some soul-searching about how to provide opportunities that young people will choose to take up. It may be that this issue with attendance reflects a general struggle which most of us are experiencing in this area. There was some hope that if the Youth Reps (previously NAT) project took off, the older young people there could benefit from these training opportunities, and help to recruit other young people to take part too. Sadly the Youth Reps project was not to be. We are open to suggestion as to how to best reach local young people with our workshops; one option we are currently pursuing is bringing short workshops directly to member groups, for them to host and if possible open up to other young people from elsewhere too. This has been a quiet year for the Swap Shop, although the training programme has enabled some groups to offer their training and / or premises in return for points, which has in turn enabled us to stretch our training budget further. The Gloucestershire Community Foundation grant for training stretched further than we could have hoped, and we were grateful to them for allowing us an extended period in order to spend it. We are still covering some tutor costs through the grant from Mid-Counties Co-op, from last year. This year we have been grateful to the FoDDC for their flexibility in allowing us to transfer our Service Level Agreement across, to support the training programme. The SLA has some enhanced reporting requirements, which has meant that we have started approaching trainees for extra feedback, approximately a month after they have attended a training session. We appreciate trainees’ willingness to give us this information, and it has been both interesting and encouraging to hear about the ongoing benefits our training sessions have provided. Thank you to everyone who has attended or otherwise contributed to this successful programme. Some feedback from trainees: “Explored a lot of topics that I had not thought about” “Learnt new techniques and gained greater understanding” “Lots of knowledge and awareness, information given that was relevant and valuable. Good practical activities too.” “The course was pitched well and informative without taking too long” “It was delivered in a easy to understand way and with a great deal of humour.” “Learnt a lot” “Brilliant course! Very informative!” …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES 3 FF O O R R E E S S TT O O FF D D E E A A N N YOUTH FORUM ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2013 - 2014 SOCIAL EVENTS & PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION The Youth Forum, supported by Katie and Graham, has continued to meet fortnightly throughout the year. Members have held two seasonal social events and also shared volunteering experiences with other young people: Youth Forum Christmas Social: Forum members went together to Pizza Express in Monmouth to celebrate their hard work through the year 2013. Asha Centre and Hope visit: Forum members met at the Asha Centre, Flaxley, with volunteers from Asha Centre, the Grange Village and members of Hope Support Services. Team building games were played and our respective work was presented to one another. Summer picnic and rounders: Forum members went to Wenchford for a summer picnic and rounders to celebrate their hard work and break for the summer 2014. Two Forum members – Emily Goy and Poppy Godden – were also interviewed on Radio 4’s ‘Open Country’, (broadcast on 11 September). The programme explores the lives of people in the Forest of Dean and their feelings towards the landscape and culture of the area. Snap Photography competition: Forum members devised a photography competition for young people. Two age categories were established, as well as an open theme. Young People emailed their photos in to the Youth Forum, and winning images were printed onto large weather-proof boards for a touring exhibition. Y Y O O U U TT H H W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' N N E E TT W W O O R R K K 4 Snap Exhibition launch: Winning photographers and their family and friends were invited to an early evening exhibition launch hosted by the Forum members at Cinderford Artspace. Snap tour: Ten winning photographs (see back page) have been exhibited to the public at the following places- Cinderford Artspace; The Forester windows; Speech House Activities Festival; Wye Valley River Festival; Woolaston Fayre and Redbrook Fete. …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES Forum members at the SNAP private view evening, Artspace. FF O O R R E E S S TT O O FF D D E E A A N N Y Y O O U U TT H H W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' N N E E TT W W O O R R K K YOUTH FORUM ACHIEVEMENTS: CONSULTATIONS, LEARNING & CHARITY CAMPAIGNING Consultations: Healthwatch Consultation: A member of the Healthwatch Team attended a Youth Forum meeting to gather feedback about new documentation being developed and also to hear views about improvements needed to the Health Service from young people’s perspective. Heritage Consultation: A member of the team preparing a major Heritage Lottery bid consulted Forum members on issues related to their Forest heritage – for example: how they felt about living in the Forest of Dean, what they valued about the cultural heritage, and how they saw it being best celebrated in the future. NHS Commissioning consultation: A local GP and Clinical Commissioning Group staff member joined a Forum meeting to explain the commissioning process and to seek young people’s views on accessing health provision and services and how this might be improved. Training and learning: Gloucestershire Nightstop presentation: Forum members were visited by Gloucestershire Nightstop who held a session explaining how the service works, inspiring discussion and showing a film. Effective Photograph Judging workshop: Sally and Roli from Cinderford Artspace came along to support Youth Forum members in planning how they might judge The Snap entries. Important factors in a “good photo” were discussed and judging criteria decided. Dementia Friends: Youth Forum members were given a session on Dementia Awareness, followed by a quiz and were finally made into “Dementia Friends” as part of a wider government scheme. Campaign and Charity work: Involvement with Forest Food Bank: Youth Forum members decided to end their involvement with the Forest Food Bank, after having supported this chosen charity for 12 months. They wrote a letter of thanks to the Food Bank, with some helpful feedback about better supporting and encouraging young volunteers. SOS Sleep-out to fundraise for Glos Nightstop: In order to raise awareness of the plight of homeless young people in the Forest, Forum members organised a sponsored tent-less sleep-out and raised money for Gloucestershire Nightstop. A fire was kept all night, faces were painted, and lots of money was raised by 13 dedicated individuals. …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES 5 FF O O R R E E S S TT O O FF YOUTH FORUM ACHIEVEMENTS: YOUTH ACTIVITIES FUND The Youth Forum manages the £45000 YAF fund on behalf of the Forest of Dean District Council and Gloucestershire County Council, to ensure that young people are fully involved in the decision making for this programme, which rewards applications written by young people for local activities. Allocations December 2013: A total sum of £41,303 was requested by 15 groups. The Youth Forum allocated £25,853 to 12 of those groups, with grants including £150 for college students to help run a fundraising event, and the maximum of 5,000 for the overall running of a voluntary youth club. D D E E A A N N ALLOCATIONS September 2014 Y Y O O U U TT H H W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' N N E E TT W W O O R R K K 6 NAME OF GROUP Young Carers Purpose of grant A 20 week project towards an arts award; including circus, fine art, pottery and animation. Music and dance project 40 arts workshops, with different activities and exhibition at the end For team equipment, transport and a trip to a stadium. Training & exam fees to enable 12 young people to gain level 1 coaching qualification Funding transport, venue hire and weekly activities of Bream Devils integrated youth club. Weekly sessions, young people hosting 2 professional theatre shows and working towards Arts Award Monthly activities in support of young people going through a family health crisis. 25 young people to take part in week long film making course and show a premiere Towards outside activities, including overhauling their garden area, growing food and creating sculptures. To overhaul their garden area to create safe outdoor space for the youth café. To run accredited citizenship qualifications and volunteering opportunities gardening tools for young volunteers to help older people manage their gardens Activity and running costs for 8 sessions per term in support of young carers. Crossroads Autism Project project costs Arts Award Artspace CANDI Creative Mindz Ellwood Football Club FoD Gymnastics Forest Pulse Found in the Forest Hope Support Services Lydney Community Centre Lydney Youth Café Newent Chill Out Zone The Gaff Upcycling Project …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES ALLOCATED £2,440 £1,300 £2,300 £1,500 £1,000 £3,800 £3,700 £2,671 £1,100 £2,140 £2,140 £2,140 £1,573 £2,800 £1,000 TREASURER’S REPORT AUDITED ACCOUNTS 2013 – 2014 FF O O R R E E S S TT O O FF D D E E A A N N Y Y O O U U TT H H W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' N N E E TT W W O O R R K K Forest of Dean Youth Workers' Network Balance Sheet as at the 31st March 2014 £ £ Balance brought forward at 1.4.13 20,395.24 Expenditure Income 24,049.31 Balance carried forward at 31.4.14 Current Account Deposit Account Sub Total Total 44,444.55 30,412.56 733.63 13,298.36 14031.99 14031.99 Total 44,444.55 Statement of Income and Expenditure for the year ending 31st March 2014 Income Grants Interest Activities FoDDC Service Level Agreement Training Other Sub Total Balance of expenditure over Total £ Expenditure 16,111.00 8.58 22.21 7,000.00 828.70 78.82 24,049.31 £ Core Costs Youth Forum Swap Shop Parish Project Training NAT Project Salaries HRMC 4,181.83 2,258.54 6.80 543.28 2,723.70 542.23 17,897.76 2,258.42 Total 30,412.56 6363.25 30,412.56 …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES 7 FF O O R R E E S S TT O O FF D D E E A A N N Y Y O O U U TT H H W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' N N E E TT W W O O R R K K TREASURER’S REPORT AUDITED ACCOUNTS continued Cash Reconciliation for the year ending 31st March 2014 £ Bank Accounts at Bank Accounts at 1.4.13 31.3.14 £ Current Account 506.19 Current Account 3,221.38 Deposit Account 19,889.05 13,298.36 Sub Total 20,395.24 Income (+) Sub Total 24,049.31 44,444.55 Deposit Account Sub Total less un-presented Cheques Expenditure (-) 30,412.56 Total 14,031.99 Total 14,031.99 Un-presented Cheques at 31st March 2014 Cheque Number Payee 422 Salvation Army 539 Indogo Project 541 GAVCA Coleford Area 543 Partnership 545 K Pritchard 546 Giles 548 K Pritchard 549 HMRC 550 M Duncan 37.50 440.60 17.55 42.48 708.53 649.65 103.89 320.05 167.50 2,487.75 Total General Funds at the 31st March 2014 Balance carried forward 914.32 2,508.13 3,697.77 1,000.00 8,120.22 14031.99 Less restricted funds Total …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES 2487.75 £ Restricted Funds at the 31st March 2014 Forest Youth Forum Training Project NAT Redundancy Fund 8 16,519.74 8,120.22 5911.77 FF O O R R E E S S TT WINNERS OF THE YOUTH FORUM’S SNAP COMPETITION NETWORK EXECUTIVE GROUP MEMBERS 2013 - 2014: Rev Sarah Bick, Jane Jarman (Chair); Sally Gibson; Gareth Ovens; Graham Spearman (Treasurer); Lorna Russell. Cllr Jane Horne is our FoDDC representative. O O FF D D E E A A N N NETWORK STAFF 2013 – 2014 Y Y O O U U TT H H Development Worker Katie Pritchard Project Worker – Shari Vandervelde PAYROLL CONSULTANT W W O O R R K K E E R R S S'' Margaret Duncan N N E E TT W W O O R R K K …….. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES 9