Young People’s needs, and the very active role of local youth services
Young people of very different shapes and sizes have diverse social and educational needs. Many of these needs are provided by family and schooling, sports groups and other leisure providers, but Youth Services, both statutory (council) and voluntary, have also contributed a wide range of activities and opportunities for social engagement and learning. For many years Youth Services have been provided by Local Authorities, like Devon County Council, but for some time now in Devon by a Social Enterprise called Space.
Before the covid-19 pandemic affected our lives youth services like Space provided young people across Devon with many educational and fun opportunities. Sessions included trips along with many other activities to get involved in, both within and outside of youth centres. Space has been offering evening sessions every night of the week for certain age groups where lots of activities happened such as cooking, arts and crafts, sports and music. The Hive offered a session on a Monday called Music Mondays where young people could come to learn about music, sing, learn a new instrument and form bands. This session offered opportunities to play music live in concerts and gain certificates for learning new instruments. There were also chances to learn about music production. Many of the Space centres offered extensive summer trip offers, with chances to go to water parks, theme parks and climbing centres for reasonable prices, enabling young people across Devon to experience adventures throughout the summer.
Space also offers young volunteer programmes, where young people of a certain age can volunteer within a session and gain experience about what it's like in the life of a youth worker. Being a young volunteer also comes with a whole host of other opportunities, such as residentials, and gaining certificates for achievements. People volunteer for many reasons, whether they're interested in going into a career of youth work in the future, or just wanting a taste of the youth worker life. It is a great experience for those wanting to build confidence and to see what it's like to function within a team and in a workplace, it also looks great on a CV. At the annual young volunteer training residential, young volunteers throughout Devon come together for a week of activities and learning, helping them in their volunteering sessions.
Despite the pandemic, Space still provides many opportunities for young people across Devon. However, Youth work definitely looks different at the moment, but this hasn't stopped young people being able to access many of the services offered by Space, keeping young volunteers linked. Using ‘Discord’ (an online platform), and meetings on Zoom for creative nights and online games, youth work continues to thrive and flourish. A large Discord group was created with youth workers and young people from all of the Devon centres, providing a new opportunity for people to interact. A host of creative fun activities exist within this online Space, such as robot building from a kit delivered directly to young people and online group games. For those too young to use Discord, The Hive in Exmouth has been offering weekly zoom sessions, including an art club.
Young people can still get personal support during this time. Space is aware of the many pressures, and anxieties, faced by young people in their everyday life, so many of the youth centres have set up a call back service. Young people can complete a form and get a text or a call back from a youth worker, providing young people with an opportunity to talk about any of their worries, and get advice.
Even with all these services still available new things are constantly in the works with things like online book clubs being planned, and new activities to bring young people together online. While we don't know exactly when youth clubs and services will return to ‘normal’ it’s worth checking our instagram pages or our website for all online services.
By Lily Robbins