10 Year Celebration of Outdoor Employment Programme!
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On Wednesday 15th November, Young Bristol are celebrating 10 years of our Outdoor Employment Programme!
Young Bristol's Outdoor Employment Programme (formerly known as the Instructor Training Scheme) was founded in 2013, where we have welcomed 30-60 trainees onto the programme each year! The programme offers young people 12 instructor qualifications in a range of outdoor activities, with a training process that allows them to meet local employers such as SS Great Britain and Redpoint Climbing Centre.
We have seen some outstanding successes from the programme, with at least 80% of the trainees starting further education, training or employment within a year of their first session. The Outdoor Employment Programme has become a huge asset to young people in Bristol, and we are proud to be celebrating 10 years of success with the programme!
Our set guest list will join us from 6:30pm, where they will enjoy champagne and canapes on arrival. We plan to hear from former and current trainees who have been through the programme, who will discuss how the Outdoor Employment Programme has positively impacted them!
Located at SS Great Britain Harbourside Kitchen, Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, BS1 6TY. Paid parking is available at the venue.
To find out more about our Outdoor Employment Programme, click here!
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Young Bristol's Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre celebrated its 25th anniversary last week, marking a quarter-century of providing outdoor activities to Bristol's young people.
On Thursday 3rd - Friday 4th July, Burges Salmon took on the 25for25 challenge, raising over £32,000 for Young Bristol in celebration of our Outdoor Activity Centre's 25th anniversary.
Over 240 people from across Burges Salmon, donning sparkles and fancy dress, flocked to the water to undertake a 25-hour continuous canoe relay along the River Avon and Bristol Docks, with the aim to raise money to support the future of the centre. Supporting Burges Salmon was our team of Outdoor Activity Instructors and staff team, who accompanied all paddlers throughout the 25-hour period.
Are you looking to take part in exciting activities this month? Young Bristol have a range of activities, events and opportunities for young people and the wider community! Find out below what's on in your local area this month!
Holiday Clubs
During the Summer, we have a number of Holiday Activities and opportunities on offer for all young people to enjoy, with a focus on those in receipt of free school meals. Each session, all young people will receive a free hot, healthy meal!
When: Monday 28th July - Friday 29th August
Where: Various Community Youth Clubs
For: Ages 8-19
Outdoor Activities
Our Outdoor Activity Programme will be running half day, full day and multi day Holiday Clubs across the Summer! Take part in our offer of up to 16 water and land based activities! Places are limited and need to be booked in advance. Click here to secure your place!
When: Wednesday 23rd July - Friday 29th August
Where: Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre
For: Ages 8-16
Drawing Competition
Young people will create a masterpiece no bigger than an A4 piece of paper - make sure to be creative, there is no theme for this competition.
When: Monday 7th July - Friday 25th July
For: Ages 8-19
How to enter: email jbt@youngbristol.com
Also this month...
Community Youth Clubs - For 8 – 19 year olds and are located in many areas across Bristol, open up to 5 nights per week. Each Club offers a safe and inclusive environment, staffed by caring, trained adults. Click here to find out more.
Outdoor Employment Programme - Our free programme for young people aged 16-25 helps to develop new skills and gain nationally recognised qualifications in a variety of outdoor activities. Click here to find out more.
Youth Club on Wheels - Our mobile youth service works with young people aged 8-19 in hard-to-reach areas of the city and rural areas where there is currently no youth provision. Click here to find out more.
Young Bristol's Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week, marking a quarter-century of providing life-changing outdoor experiences to thousands of young people across Bristol's iconic harbour.
Since opening on July 4, 2000, the award-winning centre has grown to become one of Bristol's premier providers of adventure activities, offering 16 water and land-based activities that support young people's physical and mental wellbeing through free and low-cost outdoor experiences.
Our Outdoor Activity Centre celebrates its 25th anniversary this week, supporting thousands of young people into the outdoors experiencing Bristol’s iconic harbour.
This week Young Bristol's Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre celebrates 25 years as one of Bristol’s premier providers of adventurous activities!
Pooles Wharf has grown to become a place which fosters a spirit of exploration and camaraderie for Bristol’s youth, providing life-changing outdoor experiences to thousands of young people across Bristol's harbour.
From a coal yard to community hub, over the years the centre has developed numerous programmes and opportunities for schools and colleges, to corporates, families and youth groups - making a difference to even more people across the city.
Take a look back at Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre's history; from our launch in 2000 to the centre today.
This month, we were excited to invite 8 young people from across our Community Youth Club network to join us at the NABGC Essex Adventure Weekend!
We were pleased to see young people from Avon Youth Club, BS14 Youth Club, The Grove @ Bedminster Down and Youth Club on Wheels Oatlands Avenue take part in a jam-packed weekend full of activities at Thriftwood Scout Camp Site, from Friday 20th June - Sunday 22nd June 2025!
Across the weekend, young people were involved with a number of sports activities, including axe throwing, archery, rifle shooting, Jacob's ladder, postmans mate, kayaking, raft-building, cresta run and bush craft. Our young people were also involved in a variety of other group activities including tug of war, assault courses and smores making. During each activity across the weekend, we saw our group meet new people from across the country, try new opportunities and build friendships for life!
"I had loads of fun. Thank you lots for the weekend, it was a great experience and I would really recommend it."
Thank you NABGC and Essex Boys and Girls Clubs for arranging an amazing weekend, giving young people the opportunity to try new things and learn life skills!
At Young Bristol, we continue to reflect the what, how and why in order to improve our services, better support our people and develop our facilities.
To ensure we deliver against our outcomes and aims, Young Bristol has implemented an Operations Plan for 2025 - 26. The strategic plan identifies our five key pillars from Our Strategy for 2025 - 28, assigning objectives and outputs that can be measured throughout the operating period.
We introduced our Operations Plan to work alongside Our Strategy and Theory of Change. Our Strategyoutlines five key pillars to focus on during 2025 - 28: - Our Partnerships, Our People, Our Places, Our Power to and Our Programmes. We aim during this period to create safe, fit-for-purpose buildings to support our delivery of high-quality services, providing service users and our employees with opportunities to grow and thrive. Our Theory of Changeallows us to reflect on our work and the impact we have, it establishes a framework, and ensures our work aligns with our vision.
By continuing to review our work, reflect on our impact and consult with our stakeholders we can continue to have a clear, demonstratable vision which aligns with our values and goals, for ever young person.
We are pleased to announce that booking for our Summer Outdoor Activities are now live!
Join Young Bristol and Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre and experience the thrill of the great outdoors! With a range of activities on offer, from paddling Bristol's Harbourside to climbing through an underground adventure, there is something for everyone to enjoy! Book your adventure sessions here!
3 Day Wet, Wild and Wicked - £130pp
This is an intensive programme of back to back activities. From navigating through caves to mastering paddleboarding, rock climbing, archery, kayaking, bushcraft, and orienteering challenges, experience a wide range of adventures and activities. Find out more information and book your Wet, Wild and Wicked session here!
Wednesday 23rd July - Friday 25th July
Tuesday 29th July - Thursday 31st July
Monday 4th August - Wednesday 6th August
Tuesday 12th August - Thursday 14th August
Paddlepower Development Course - £85pp
Two days of back to back activities, embarking on a development course, tailored for young adventurers who are eager to advance their canoeing and kayaking skills. Previous attendance to a Half Day Kayaking session is recommended to make the most of this opportunity. Find out more information and book your Paddle Power Development Course here!
Wednesday 20th August - Thursday 21st August
Full Day Wet and Wicked - £45pp
Spend the day with us learning about the basic paddling techniques and enjoy playing fun, confidence-building games that encourage balance, agility and teamwork. You will continue to work with your team mates to build a raft and paddle your team to victory. Find out more information and book your Wet and Wicked session here!
Friday 1st August
Thursday 7th August
Friday 29th August
Full Day Wet and Wild - £45pp
Channel your inner Robin Hood as you learn archery skills and embrace the art of bushcraft, alongside cooking over an open fire. Then experience the aquatic thrills with kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding across Bristol's iconic Harbour. Find out more information and book your Wet and Wild session here!
Monday 11th August
Tuesday 19th August
Wednesday 27th August
Half Day Kayaking - £20pp
A perfect session for beginners, and those with a little experience. Spend the session learning about the basic paddling techniques and take part in fun, confidence-building games that encourage balance, agility and teamwork. Find out more information and book your Half Day Kayaking sessionhere!
Thursday 24th July
Tuesday 29th July
Wednesday 6th August
Wednesday 13th August
Friday 15th August
Friday 22nd August
Tuesday 26th August
Half Day Paddleboarding - £20pp
A perfect session for beginners, and those with a little experience. Spend the session with us learning about the basic paddling techniques and enjoy playing fun, confidence-building games that encourage balance, agility and teamwork. Find out more information and book your Half Day Paddleboaring session here!
Join Young Bristol's FREE Summer Holiday Clubs! We are open to all young people aged 8-19 across our Community Youth Clubs. From sports activities to creative workshops, we have something for everyone to enjoy! A free hot, healthy meal will be provided to all young people.
Our Summer Holiday Activities across our Community Youth Clubs are kindly funded by the Holiday Activity Fund, supported by Bristol City Council, The Department of Education and Your Holiday Hub.
We are pleased to share a confirmed list of dates for our sessions throughout the Summer. All other delivery will continue as normal in addition to these sessions:
Ashton Vale Club for Young People
Monday 28th July, 5:30pm-8:30pm (Ages 12-19)
Tuesday 29th July, 5:30pm-8:30pm (Ages 8-11)
Monday 4th August, 5:30pm-8:30pm (Ages 12-19)
Tuesday 5th August, 5:30pm-8:30pm (Ages 8-11)
Monday 11th August, 5:30pm-8:30pm (Ages 12-19)
Tuesday 12th August, 5:30pm-8:30pm (Ages 8-11)
Monday 18th August, 5:30pm-8:30pm (Ages 12-19)
Tuesday 19th August, 5:30pm - 8:30pm (Ages 8-11)
Tuesday 26th August, 5:30pm -8:30pm (Ages 8-11)
Please note: we will be closed for the bank holiday on Monday 25th August,all other sessions will continue as normal.
Address: Ashton Vale Club for Young People, Silbury Road, BS3 2QE
Avon Youth Club
Monday 28th July, 10:00am-3:00pm (Ages 8+)
Tuesday 29th July, 12:15pm-3:00pm (Ages 8+)
Wednesday 30th July, 10:00am-3:00pm (Ages 8+)
Thursday 31st July, 10:00am-2:00pm (Ages 8+)
Monday 4th August, 10:00am-3:00pm (Ages 8+)
Tuesday 5th August, 10:00am-2:00pm (Ages 8+)
Wednesday 6th August, 10:00am-2:00pm (Ages 8+)
Thursday 7th August, 10:00am-2:00pm (Ages 8+)
Please note: no additional sessions will be running throughout the Summer, the club will reopen on 1st September 2025
This week, Young Bristol are excited to celebrate Volunteers' Week, recognising the contributions of volunteers across the UK, between Monday 2nd June and Friday 6th June.
Throughout the week, we have been shining light on our amazing volunteers, who support us across the charity to offer a safe and inclusive environments, where young people can feel empowered, included ands not alone!
Our Volunteers: Katie
Meet Katie, a volunteer at BS14 Youth Club's Looked After Children sessions. Katie has volunteered on the sessions since February 2023.
Katie found out about volunteering with Young Bristol through an online search, hoping to volunteer with young people in the Bristol area. She was hoping to get more experience working with young people, as they were going through the adoption process and so wanted to boost her confidence, as well as improve her application.
“I love that we give the foster families the chance to have a break, that the children learn to socialise and have fun. I’ve seen children join the Club being very nervous and socially anxious, and then grow in confidence!”
Since first volunteering, Katie says she has gained a lot of confidence and it has been a great insight into the foster system and how supported the young people are. Katie feels that volunteering has given her a sense of purpose, and would recommend volunteering to anyone as she has found her experience fun and rewarding!
Our Young Leaders: Lola
At Young Bristol, we have a network of 8 Young Leaders, who help staff members to run activities, sell snacks at the Tuck Shop and settle in new young people.
Meet Lola, who is one of our newest Young Leaders to the team across our network. Lola initially joined Sea Mills Boys and Girls Club last year, and loved playing games spending time with others and having fun at the club.
She wanted to become a Young Leader at the club as she believes it is important to help the people around her and enjoys supporting the junior members at the club and residents in her local community. As a Young Leader, Lola has so far enjoyed interacting with both young people and staff.
"One piece of advice I would give to anyone wanting to become a Young Leader is just go for it! Just make sure that you continue to support those around you no matter what!”
Our corporate partners: TLT
TLT is one of our amazing corporate partners, from our number of incredibly generous partnerships we have developed, who have gone above and beyond to voluntarily raise money and support Young Bristol.
Over the last two years, TLT have held a number of fundraising events, including their Christmas Quiz Night, Bingo Night, World Cup Sweepstake and Olympic movement challenge. Each event encouraged their team to get together and raise money for Young Bristol!
