Six months after Wiltshire closed the county’s youth centres and made most of its youth workers redundant, the new model for voluntary-led youth provision is starting to take shape.
An event in Marlborough on Saturday, March 14 – the day before Mothering Sunday – aims to bring together clubs, groups and organisations that do, or could, provide activities for young people with the youngsters themselves.
The drop-in networking event, which takes place between noon and 4pm at the Wesley Hall, is being organised by Jan Bowra, who is Community Youth Officer for the Marlborough area.
Like every other area in Wiltshire, Marlborough is in the process of forming a Local Youth Network, or LYN.
The LYN will be made up of representatives from local clubs and organisations, schools, parish and county councillors, charities like Barnardo’s, children’s centres, parents and carers, and faith groups.
“Young people will also be represented on the LYN,” said Jan. “It is very important that young people are at the heart of the process.”
The group will meet infrequently – perhaps two or three times a year. “It will not be demanding on people’s time – maybe a few hours a year,” said Jan.
Meanwhile, the member groups will be put onto a database, helping young people to access the activities and services that matter to them: be that through sport, the arts, uniformed groups like the Scouting movement, or organisations that will help and advise them on health issues.
The LYN will help Jan and the young people to explore opportunities, but also to identify gaps in provision.
A list of more than 30 requirements has been drawn up by the young people themselves. Top of the priorities list is a need to be able to easily find out public transport timetables. Support for teenagers suffering from mental health problems is ranked second and thirdly, which may surprise some people, is the need to tackle littering.
A music festival, care for the environment, and better, more affordable public transport links is also high on the list of young people’s priorities.
The good news for the young people – and for the voluntary groups that seek to provide activities – is that funding is available.
Community Youth Grants of up to £5,000 each will be awarded from a ring-fenced pot of money managed by the Area Board.
Unlike the Community Grants Scheme though – where applications are approved or rejected at the whim of two Marlborough county councillors and another two representing the villages – it is, in theory, at least, the young people who will decide which projects are funded, and by how much.
The first tranche of money, earmarked to cover the period from October last year to April this year totals around £14,000. A further £24,465 is available for the 2015/16 financial year.
One application has already been successful: in November town councillor Lisa Farrell, acting as a resident rather than a town councillor, was awarded £1,762.50 to run a weekly youth club in the former youth centre, which – unlike other youth centres in the county – was saved completely from closure and is currently being used for adults with learning disabilities.
It was an irony not lost to anyone that part of the grant would go straight back to Wiltshire Council, in the form of rent for the building.
The new club has yet to meet. Nevertheless, it’s the kind of initiative Jan wants to encourage. “I can’t run these things myself, anymore, but I can help and advise those who want to. My role now is one of an enabler,” she said.
Anyone who would like to attend the LYN event, or is interested in providing activities for young people, can contact Jan on 077 474 55746 or email janette.bowra@wiltshire.gov.uk
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