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As part of our 2022-25 strategic priorities, Young Bristol is focusing on offering high quality programmes and youth work to young people.
Recently, Young Bristol took 9 young people to Essex Outdoors Mersea Activity Centre, for a weekend full of activities! The Essex Adventure Weekend was kindly arranged by NABGC and Essex Boys and Girls Clubs.
We saw young people from across our club network, visiting Essex From BS14 Youth Club, Hartcliffe Club for Young People and Avon Youth Club. It was great to see young people from all over Bristol engaging and making new bonds!
The residential allowed young people to experience camping in a tent for two nights. For some of these young people, it was their first time camping and leaving Bristol without parents or carers.
The Essex Adventure Weekend had a wide range of sports on offer for young people to try. Young people were able to try lots of land based sports such as archery and climbing, and some water sports such as paddleboarding.
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We would like to say a huge thank you to Burges Salmon for sponsoring this trip. It allowed young people to experience the adventure of a lifetime!
To find out how you can get involved in our programmes and youth work, click here!
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In an inspiring partnership with local youth charity, Young Bristol, Laura Wilder, Franchisee of the Bristol Fishponds McDonald’s, has transformed her restaurant into a safe and welcoming space for young people. This partnership comes as a result of McDonald’s Makin’ it initiative, run in collaboration with BBC Children in Need - to better support young people and unlock genuine opportunity.
Surrounded by several schools, Laura noticed an increasing number of young people gathering at her restaurant after school. Over time, she began to know the regulars by name, fostering relationships that have led to a much greater impact than anticipated. Laura’s presence as a mentor and positive role model grew as she took on a key role of providing reassurance, advice, and support to these young people.
In a bid to extend the positive impact beyond just the students who were visiting her restaurant, Laura formed a partnership with Young Bristol, the city’s leading provider of community-based youth services. The charity is well known for its extensive community youth club network across some of Bristol’s most challenging neighbourhoods and run a variety of initiatives including outdoor activities, holiday clubs and an outdoor employment programme which helps young people develop life skills.
Recognising the potential of combining their strengths, Laura personally funded six youth work sessions, which saw Young Bristol’s innovative Youth Club on Wheels parked outside her McDonald’s for a 3-hour window each week. This mobile youth service created a fun, interactive space for the youth, with various activities designed to engage, inspire, and positively influence their lives.
Over the course of the project, 24 young people from the local Fishponds community took part, solidifying the initiative’s success. This partnership between Young Bristol and McDonald’s has had a profound effect on the local community, all through crucial funding from BBC Children in Need. Not only has Laura’s restaurant become a gathering spot where young people feel safe, but it has also fostered anew, mutual respect between the McDonald’s team and young people in the area. Fishponds McDonald’s and Young Bristol look forward to continuing their partnership, with a new aim to provide employment opportunities for young people.
Local McDonald’s Franchisee, Laura Wilder, who owns and operates McDonald’s Fishponds, says:
“My team at McDonald’s Fishponds and I, together with Young Bristol, are deeply committed to creating lasting change in our community. We see the bright potential in every young person, and it inspires us to create a safe and welcoming space where they can connect, learn, and truly thrive. Together, we've already begun to see the positive impact of our partnership, and we’re excited to build on this foundation. Our goal is to open even more doors for growth and empowerment, ensuring that the youth of Bristol have the opportunities they deserve to shine.”
Shea Stew, Young Bristol Youth Club On Wheels Lead adds:
“Going into the project we did not know what to expect, but I was utterly amazed at the response from the young people and the community. It quickly became clear that there was a genuine need in Fishponds for something for young people. We really enjoyed working with McDonalds, and would love to see a bigger partnership in the future, as we know youth, community, and burgers, is a great combination.”
Since the start of the partnership with BBC Children in Need, McDonald’s has supported more than 185 youth projects employing more than 320 youth workers and improving outcomes for over 42,500 young people .McDonald’s customers can donate to BBC Children in Need by rounding up orders at the kiosk and via the McDonald’s App.
Young Bristol were pleased to see Ashton Vale Club for Young People go through a number of refurbishments this month, with exciting developments to the clubs main, open space.
As part of Young Bristol's 2022-25 Strategic Priorities, the charity has focused on investing in our infrastructure and resources to give young people and their local communities an environment they can thrive in.
The work at Ashton Vale Club for Young People has hugely improved our former Silver Social room, which will now be used as a multi-media suite, helping our team expand the opportunities they can now provide for young people who attend our sessions. Improvements to the club have also seen the installation of a new heating system, new flooring and new ceiling. The improvements will also benefit the wider community who utilise our Community Youth Club during the daytime.
We are committed to continuing our mission and stratgeic investment by providing safe, welcoming spaces for young people, where they can build friendships, access support and be themselves.
On Tuesday 15th October, we were delighted to see our Youth Club on Wheels feature on BBC's The One Show, highlighting the profound and life-changing work that the team behind this programme have delivered over the past five years!
Our Youth Club on Wheels is a mobile youth service, providing detached support to young people aged 8-19 in hard-to-reach areas of the city and rural areas where there is currently no youth provision! Our sessions offer a number of activities to get involved with, including: sports, creative arts and the opportunity to learn new life skills!
A parent from Speedwell's Youth Club on Wheels session explained:
"Not only does it get them out the house and keep them off the street, it keeps them busy doing really good, fun and safe activities"
The feature focuses on the vital work that our Youth Club on Wheels has provided to young people across a number of Bristol communities, offering them a safe space, engaging activities, a free meal, and a sense of belonging!
Since its launch in 2019, the Youth Club on Wheels has supported nearly 1,000 young people and has become increasing popularity across the eight communities we currently serve. Both young people and parents have responded positively to our sessions, where we have also offered access to positive role models and a space where young people can thrive.
Shea Stew, Youth Club on Wheels Lead added:
"We create our own family whereever we are"
During our sessions, we were joined by presenter Ashley John-Baptiste. From his own experiences growing up in care, Ashley understands the importance of youth work and positive role models, and was amazed to see the life-changing impact a youth provision like ours can have on the lives of young people.
We were also joined by Leigh Middleton, CEO of NYA, who highlighted that many local youth clubs are closing down and revealed the need for more youth work to be available for young people in their communities.
Ashley John-Baptiste, presenter from The One Show explained:
"A warm space, a safe space and a meal here can make the world of difference"
We would like to thank BBC's The One Show for the amazing opportunity to share the Youth Club on Wheels incredible work! If you missed our piece, you can watch it here!
This week, Young Bristol welcomed our staff team, Trustee Board and volunteers to BS14 Youth Club to discuss our Impact since releasing our 2022-25 strategy as well as developing how we achieve our 2025-28 strategy.
The meeting explored how Young Bristol has consulted with children and young people, our supporters, national bodies, stakeholders, and the wider community to achieve our strategic priorities for 2022-2025.
Our Strategy Development Meeting also focused on our new strategic priorities and gave our team and volunteers the opportunity to shape how we plan to achieve our goals over the next three years.
Thank you to everyone that attended our Strategy Development meeting!
We are delighted to announce Brandon and Brooke from the Hengrove Youth Club on Wheels session are the winners of our 2024 Film Making Competition!
Last month, we hosted a Film Making Competition across our Community Youth Club and Youth Club on Wheels network. Young people from each club were encouraged to create a short film using a mobile phone, tablet or camera, to entered into our competition.
We received a number of entries from across our club network, our judges chose one winner from the range of amazing creative skills that were showcased in the competition!
The winners of our competition are Brooke and Brandon, two young people from our Hengrove Youth Club on Wheels session! In their film, the pair discussed urban exploring and the number of issues surrounding it. Both our winners were awarded with a £15 Amazon gift card each.
Congratulations both! Keep an eye out for our next competition in November!
During our Holiday Clubs, we were delighted to offer young people the opportunity to learn and practice photography skills during selected sessions throughout the summer!
Our Marketing team, along with our volunteer photographer Nicolo, visited a number of Community Youth Clubs, the Youth Club on Wheels, and external trips. Young people interested in photography were given creative freedom with our cameras, helping us to expand our image library. These images will be used in our marketing across social media, our eNewsletter, and on our website!
We are pleased to see that several young people are now considering pursuing photography as part of their studies or as a hobby, thanks to their experience with our cameras over the summer. Our staff are incredibly proud to see such high-quality images produced through the effort of these young people. Some examples are showcased in the image gallery below!
The photographs taken by young people will be printed and displayed in our Community Youth Clubs!
If you would like to find out more about our upcoming programmes and activities, click here!
This summer, Young Bristol saw 21 days of Holiday Clubs delivered across 5 of our community venues and outdoor activity centre, working with new and existing young people, providing them with exciting and enriching new opportunities, access to healthy food and the opportunity to build new friendships.
Young Bristol’s Holiday Clubs are located in numerous areas across Bristol. During the school holidays our Community Youth Clubs and Outdoor Activities Team ran engaging sessions during both the day time and evenings. These session provided young people with free activities, prepared meals and a safe space to have fun! Our programmes had a focus on supporting those who receive free school meals.
"I feel like I belong at this club, the adults are welcoming and I find it easy to make friends with the other kids"
This summer Young Bristol saw:
2,383 contacts with young people
29+ Holiday Clubs sessions delivered.
14 communities supported across Bristol with our Community Youth Club and Youth Club on Wheels.
A breakdown of where these contacts have come from:
1,220 contacts with Young Bristol's Holiday Club's
571 contacts from external providers hiring our space
416 contacts with our continued Open access evening provision.
176 contacts with young people on our Youth Club on Wheels
Young Bristol would like to thank our staff team, partner organisations and funders for helping to make this summer one to remember. We would also like to thank the Your Holiday Hub Bristol Programme, supported by Bristol City Council and The Department for Education, for supporting 5 of our Holiday Clubs at our city-wide Community Youth Club venues. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Fareshare for providing young people with some amazing food to enjoy across the Summer!
From Monday 9th September, Avon Youth Club's opening times will be changing! We are pleased to announce that the club will be open from Monday-Friday!
Our Community Youth Clubs, for 8-19 year old's, are located in many areas across Bristol. Each of our Youth Clubs offer a safe and inclusive environment, staffed by caring, trained adults. Our Clubs provide creative, sports and inspiring activities and opportunities. Most importantly, they are spaces for young people to make lifelong friendships and have fun.
We are pleased to announce that Avon Youth Club will now be open five days a week:
Monday
6:00pm-8:00pm (Juniors: Ages 8-12)
Tuesday
6:00pm-8:00pm (Mixed: Ages 8-18)
Wednesday
6:00pm-8:00pm (Mixed: Ages 8-18)
Thursday
6:00pm-8:00pm (Mixed: Ages 8-18)
Friday
6:00pm-8:00pm (Senior: Ages 13+)
Address: 98a Longcross, Lawrence Weston, BS11 0LP
Looking for a Community Youth Club near you? See below for details on our other Community Youth Clubs, based in a number of areas across Bristol:
Ashton Vale Club for Young People – Silbury Road, Ashton Vale, BS3 2QE
BS14 Youth Club – Stockwood Lane, Stockwood, BS14 8SJ
Hartcliffe Club for Young People – Gatehouse Avenue, Hatcliffe, BS13 9AN
Sea Mills' Boys' and Girls' Club – Bluebell Close, Woodleaze, Sea Mills, BS9 2HX
The Grove @ Bedminster Down – 27a Cheddar Grove, Bedmnster Down, BS13 7EN
To find out more information on our opening days and times, click here.
Last week was the fifth and final week of Young Bristol's Summer Holiday Provision. We saw delivery from 4 of Young Bristol’s Community Youth Clubs, Youth Club on Wheels and Outdoor Activity Centre, working with new and existing young people, providing them with exciting and enriching opportunities, access to a free hot meal and the opportunity to build new friendships.
The fifth week of our Summer Holiday Provision saw:
196 contacts with young people across our Holiday Clubs and Open Access provision
13 sessions across the city
10 communities supported through our Community Youth Clubs and Youth Club on Wheels.
Key highlights of the week:
This week, Young Bristol hosted an Interclub Watersports Day at Poole's Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre, bringing together young people from Ashton Vale Club for Young People, Sea Mills Boys and Girls Club and The Grove @ Bedminster Down. Young people learnt basic paddling skills and competed in confidence building games on kayaks and canoes. Congratulations to Sea Mills Boys and Girls Club for winning our first Watersports Day!
We invited a group of young people from Ashton Vale Club for Young People to Za Za Bazaar in Bristol's City Centre. Young people experienced eating foods from a number of different countries and cultures as well as building new and existing friendships!
Young people from BS14 Youth Club went on a trip to Great Avon Woods. During the trip, young people explored the grounds, learnt about aging of trees and looked for local wildlife around the woods.
Young Bristol would like to thank our staff team, partner organisations, and funders for helping make last week part of the summer of a lifetime. We would also like to thank the Your Holiday Hub Bristol Programme, supported by Bristol City Council and The Department for Education, for supporting our Holiday Clubs at our city-wide Community Youth Club venues.
