July 11, 2024

Refurbishments transform Poole's Wharf Activity Centre

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Thanks to Bristol City Council Community Infrastructure Levy Fund, we are pleased to see Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre under refurbishment, with exciting developments to the centre’s facilities and outdoor area!

Since its inception in 2000, our Pooles Wharf Activity Centre has evolved to become one of Bristol’s premier providers of outdoor pursuits. The vibrant hub is home to a broad range of water-based opportunities for Bristol’s young people and the wider community, as well as hosting Young Bristol’s Outdoor Employment Programme, Kayak Club, Holiday Clubs and more!

As part of the charity’s 2022-25 Strategic Priorities, we have focused on investing in our infrastructure, resources and buildings, ensuring young people and their communities have an environment that they can thrive in.

The centre’s refurbishments have been made possible by Bristol City Council's Community Infrastructure Levy Fund as well as matched investment from Young Bristol, which has enabled us to give a much-needed modernisation to the centre. The refurbishments to the centre include slip resistant safety flooring, energy efficient lighting throughout, fully accessible bathroom, as well as the addition of double glazing to further boost our energy efficiency, helping to bring down the cost of utilities.

The funding from Bristol City Council as well as our investments, have allowed us to transform the space, giving young people, schools, youth groups and the wider community an improved experience when accessing and using the facilities at the centre.

The improvements, which began earlier this year, have also seen the installation of a new kitchen, toilets, interior and exterior lighting, windows and flooring, as well as an expansion of the downstairs entranceway.

Pooles Wharf Activity Centre will continue to see some exciting developments take place throughout 2024 – 25, ahead of the centre’s 25th Anniversary!

Wanting to support Young Bristol’s work with children and young people? Click here.

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October 4, 2024

Young Bristol's Film Making Competition winner!

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!

Programmes
Announcements
September 30, 2024

Noble Deeds helps to boost community youth services with Young Bristol

Community-based youth charity Young Bristol has become the third South West charity to win a place on the region’s Noble Deeds programme.

Set up in 2021 by Bristol-based SME Noble, the Deeds programme provides digital marketing training & support to not-for-profits, helping them deliver vital services in the area. Increasing in-line with Nobles’ own turnover, this year the support package stands at £25,000. Young Bristol will use this to upskill its marketing team and ensure its services reach the young people who need them the most.

Supporting children and young adults aged 8-25 during their critical out of school hours in some of the most challenging areas of the city, Young Bristol’s mission is to provide innovative programmes that create a positive and sustainable impact on the lives of young people.

With eight community youth clubs across Bristol, a mobile youth club on wheels, outdoor activity centres and an employment programme just part of what the charity offers, the support from Noble will help the Young Bristol team prioritise where its digital marketing efforts will make the most impact. As well as helping the team to learn new skills and maximise their knowledge of social media, SEO and other digital promotion techniques for a lasting impact beyond the Deeds programme.

Announcements
Stories
September 27, 2024

Our Impact Report 2023-24

We are delighted to announce that we have officially published our 2023-24 Impact Report!

This years Impact report demonstrates the positive impact we have had around Bristol during the 2023-24 period. The report reflects how we have provided safe, social spaces for young people to thrive in, despite their increasing needs caused by the cost-of-living crisis and the rising epidemic of knife crime in Bristol.

"Working with Young Bristol has opened our eyes to how difficult it is for young people in Bristol and across the country, and how badly a lack of funding is impacting youth work and young people's livelihoods"

BBS, Corporate Partner

Announcements
Stories
September 17, 2024

Inspiring young photographers during our Summer delivery 2024!

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!

Stories
Programmes
September 11, 2024

Young Bristol reach 2,383 contacts with young people this Summer!

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.

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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.

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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

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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!

Programmes
Stories
September 9, 2024

Avon Youth Club's opening times are changing!

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.

Programmes
September 6, 2024

We are seeking new Board Members for Young Bristol!

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Board of Trustees of Young Bristol – a multi-award winning charity with an outstanding record of supporting young people in the Greater Bristol area for almost 100 years. As a member of our committed and enthusiastic Board, you will help shape the future of the charity – and support Young Bristol’s work to transform young lives in our local area.

Young Bristol is recognised as Bristol’s leading provider of community-based youth services, through our community youth club network based in some of Bristol’s most challenging communities, and a valued provider of outdoor activitiesholiday clubsmobile youth services, as well as outdoor employment and informal educational opportunities. Through safe, fun, and supportive community spaces, it’s our mission to create a positive and sustainable impact, building brighter futures for our young people.

The Board and Trustee Role

We are now recruiting new trustees to complement the skills of existing Board members. We are looking for people who feel passionate about our mission as well as having the desire and ability to help Young Bristol achieve its ambitious goals as we head towards our 100-year anniversary in 2028.

 

The Board of Trustees is jointly and severally responsible for the overall governance of the charity. In addition, and in collaboration with its Chief Executive, it is also responsible for the strategic direction and financial health of the charity, the probity of its activities and developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in accordance with the governing document, and legal and regulatory guidelines.

Young Bristol is passionate about ensuring the whole organisation represents the diverse communities across the region and we welcome applications from anyone who may feel a connection with our work. There is no need for any prior experience as a trustee, however, candidates should ideally be able to demonstrate:

  • A track record of sound judgement and effective decision making
  • Empathy with and a desire to support young people
  • A commitment to promoting equality and diversity
  • The ability and willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
  • The disposition to speak their mind and offer constructive challenge when appropriate
  • Willingness to be available to staff for advice and enquiries on an ad hoc basis
  • The ability to work effectively and collegially as a member of the Board
  • An understanding of the respective roles of the Board and the senior management team

We are particularly interested in experience in the following:

  • The youth sector e.g. youthwork, schools, safeguarding and all aspects of engagement with young people
  • Property management and development
  • Governance.

The Trustee appointment is a voluntary role, with an initial term of three years and renewable twice. Board meetings start at 5.30pm at least six times a year in person in Bristol.

How to apply

Please send a CV and short covering letter outlining why you would like to join and what you would bring to the board of Young Bristol to Lee Williams, Chief Executive of Young Bristol, at lw@youngbristol.com. For further information or a discussion in confidence please contact the Co-Chair of the Board, Jamie Cameron, at Jamie.cameron@burges-salmon.com.The deadline for applications is 30th Sept 2024 and interviews will be held shortly thereafter.

Team news
Announcements
September 2, 2024

Young Bristol's Summer Holiday Provision 2024 - Week 5

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.

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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.

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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.

Find out more about our holiday programmes here.

Programmes
Stories
August 30, 2024

Young Bristol host Interclub Watersports Day!

This week, Young Bristol hosted an Interclub Watersports Day at Poole's Wharf Activity Centre, bringing together young people from three different communities across the city!

This week, Young Bristol hosted an Interclub Watersports Day at our Pooles Wharf Activity Centre! We saw three teams from across our Community Youth Club network, taking part in different games and activities to earn points towards the Young Bristol Shield! The day brought together young people from Ashton Vale Club for Young People, Sea Mills' Boys' and Girls' Club and The Grove @ Bedminster Down.

Young people started the morning with kayaking, learning basic paddling techniques on land, before getting into kayaks and paddling through Bristol's iconic Harbourside. The group took part in confidence building games and races to encourage them to practice their paddling techniques.

The second half of the session, young people were able to use their paddling skills in Canoes. Each of our Clubs teamed up and took part in a race across the Harbour, with each team attached between two canoes!

After a long session of paddling, young people enjoyed pizza and healthy snacks inside our newly refurbished Pooles Wharf! To decide the winner of this years Watersports Day, two teams took part in a relay race to decide the overall winner!

Congratulations to Sea Mills' Boys' and Girls' Club on winning our first Interclub Watersports Day! Well done to all the young people that took part in our Watersports Day, showing great teamwork across the day!

To find out more about our programmes, including our Community Youth Clubs or Outdoor Activities, click here!

Programmes
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