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This year, Young Bristol organised NABGC's 58th annual Canoe Test!
Through the bank holiday weekend, young people from Young Bristol and those associated with the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs took part in The Canoe Test 2024. The challenge took place over four days, with participants paddling down the River Wye.
Young people completed this challenging event, with some achieving up to 100 miles of canoeing! The event taught all participants some life-changing skills in addition to canoeing, such as preparing their own food and setting up their own tents to camp in, which they can continue to use on future adventures.
The four days of canoeing down the River Wye was all under the expert guidance of Young Bristol's Commercial Activities team, ably supported by a number of volunteers, all giving up their bank holiday weekend to to ensure all young people participating in this years Canoe Test had an amazing experience!
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this years Canoe Test a truly unforgettable event full of learning, laughter and friendship-building!
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We are delighted to announce that Phia and Eva from The Grove @ Bedminster Down are the winners of the 2025 Christmas Card Competition!
Last month, we hosted a Christmas Card Competition across our Community Youth Clubs. Young people from across network were encouraged to draw a Christmas design that would be featured as this year’s annual Christmas Card!
We were delighted to receive a total of 50+ entries from across our Youth Clubs, showcasing lots creativity through some fantastic designs!
The winner from our junior age group is Phia, aged 8, from The Grove @ Bedminster Down. The winner from our senior age group was Eva, aged 16, from The Grove @ Bedminster Down! The pair have each been awarded a pack of cards that feature their design as well as a £15 Amazon gift voucher!
Thank you to Sarah from Burges Salmon, who selected the winning designs this year!
"We chose Phia's design due to its vibrant colour palette and this being heartwarming; this was conveyed through a festive winter scene. The creativity and attention to detail demonstrated by the young artist was fantastic."
"Eva's card stood out due to its sophisticated and creative design and the clever use of space and elements. The artist's skill in blending traditional festive themes with a modern twist was impressive."
On Saturday 29th November, young people from our Outdoor Employment Programme and Community Youth Club network took part in the Super Sliders Bronze and Silver programmes!
What a great way for our Outdoor Employment Programme and young people from our Community Youth Clubs to start their weekend! Young people travelled to the University of Bath's Training Village, where they took part in the Super Sliders Bronze and Silver programmes. The team from Super Sliders had prepared a day full of activities for young people to get involved with and enjoy!
The programme started off with some "off-track" activities, where the group talked to members from Britain's Olympic Bobsleigh and Skeleton team! During this workshop, the group learnt about different bobsleigh equipment and were taught about a range of bobsleigh techniques!
The workshop continued onto some "on-track" activities, where the group put their learning into practice by using the bobsleigh and skeleton equipment on the track. Young people all had the opportunity to push themselves down the track and improve their techniques! The day ended with young people taking part in a relay race, with the top 3 winners received bronze, silver and gold medals.
It was great to see our group of trainees try out new sports and push themselves out of their comfort zone! A huge thank you to Super Sliders for inviting us along to their most recent programme! We look forward to taking part in the next one soon!
We are delighted to share that Young Bristol has been selected as Istoria Groups 'Charity of the Year'!
Istoria Group is a collective of creative agencies with distinct, complementary skill sets. They offer a fantastic collaborative spirit and the shared ambition to make their clients' brands more visible, more relevant, and more compelling to their customers.
The team at Istoria Group will be supporting Young Bristol through a number of opportunities over the next year, including: fundraising for us through a 'Wing Walk', skills sharing across our network, and volunteering at our Community Youth Clubs.
Thank you to the team for your support so far! Are you interested in supporting Young Bristol and not sure how? Click here to find out more information.
We are delighted to announce Rosanna from the Avon Youth Club is the winner of our 2025 Film Competition!
Last month, we were pleased to host a Film 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 is Rosanna, a young person from Avon Youth Club session! In her film, she discussed why she would like to be a xx and xx when she grows up. Rosanna was awarded with a £15 Amazon gift card for winning the competition. Well done to Kyah, Hartcliffe Club for Young People and Tico, Hartcliffe Club for Young People, who were announced as runners up of the competition.
Congratulations Rosanna! During November, we are running a Christmas Card competition! Ask your local Club Leader for more information on how to enter.
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!
Christmas Card Competition
Create a Christmas card on our premade template and submit to a Club Leader. Winners will receive VIP Box Tickets for 4 people to Bristol’s Christmas Pantomime.
When: Monday 3rd November - Friday 14th November
Where: Various Youth Clubs
For: Ages 8-19
Super Sliders Trip
Super Sliders are offering their Bronze and Silver Award, where you will take part in a one-day camp in which you will get the chance to try out skeleton and bobsleigh.
When: Saturday 29th November
Where: Bath University 'Push Track'
For: Ages 16-25
Also this month...
Community Youth Clubs - For 8 – 19 year olds and are located in many areas across Bristol, open up to 4 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.
During the October half term, we were pleased to see Bristol Old Vic Theatre School perform an exclusive 'Wonderland' performance for Young Bristol members at Merchants Academy.
We were thrilled to see a number of families, young people and affiliates come through the doors of Merchants Academy, to enjoy Bristol Old Vic Theatre Schools performance of 'Wonderland', created and performed by their second-year BA Acting students, who debuted their school tour for Young Bristol members!
The story saw Alice tumble down a rabbit hole during a computer lesson, where she discovers a magical Wonderland filled with curious characters who seem strangely familiar. Through encounters with a White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and the fearsome Queen of Hearts, she embarks on a musical adventure that teaches her how to navigate her emotions and embrace her true self.
"It was great to see the students stay in character so well throughout the whole performance. They engaged with the kids so well and used humour for all throughout. What an amazing performance, thank you!"
We would like to thank Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for hosting this amazing performance for young people!
During the October half term, Young Bristol were pleased to host a 'Well-being and Social Action Festival' at Admiral House in Fishponds, Bristol, inviting local organisations to share about how the local young people and families can take care of their mental health.
On Thursday 30th October, Young Bristol welcomed young people aged 10–20 and their families from the local community and across the city to engage with a number of exciting activities, encouraging and supporting their mental health and wellbeing.
The event saw a number of local organisations and stallholders attend, who offered tailored support to our attendees — including yoga, boxing, music-making, and mental health service providers. It was also great to see young people from Youth Moves set up and deliver their own social action stall, where they made food and stress balls for everyone to enjoy!
We would like to share a huge thanks to SNG and the #iwill Fund for funding this event and helping us to make it possible. Thank you to The Cause, Off The Record Bristol, Retreat Me Wellness, Youth Moves, NHS Talking Therapies and all the other local organisations that made this event such a success! Thank you to Lush Bristol, who kindly donated us a number of bath bombs that were included in our wellbeing goody bags.
To find out more about accessing our programmes and services, click here!
Are you looking to take part in exciting activities this October Half Term? 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!
Outdoor Activities
Our Outdoor Activity Programme will be running half day and full day Holiday Clubs during the October Half Term! Take part in our offer of up to 16 water and land based activities. Click here to secure your place!
When: Wednesday 29th October-Thursday 30th October
Where: Pooles Wharf Outdoor Activity Centre
For: Ages 8-16
Wellbeing and Social Action Festival
The Wellbeing and Social Action Festival will see a variety of workshops, stalls and activities, including: Talk, Back and Sides; haircuts for young people, Yoga, make your own wellbeing packs and stress balls, wellbeing through music with ‘The Cause’ and stalls from local organisations. Supported by SNG. No booking required, just turn up!
When: Thursday 30th October
Where: Admiral House, Manor Road, BS16 2EN
For: Ages 10-20
Wonderland performance - performed by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
When Alice tumbles down a rabbit hole during a computer lesson, Alice discovers a magical Wonderland filled with curious characters who seem strangely familiar. Through encounters with a White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and the fearsome Queen of Hearts, she embarks on a musical adventure that teaches her how to navigate her emotions and embrace her true self. Booking required, click here to book your place.
Community Youth Clubs - For 8 – 19 year olds and are located in many areas across Bristol, open up to 4 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.
Last week, we were delighted to welcome the team from Unite Students to Ashton Vale Club for Young People where eight of their dedicated team members helped us to improve our facilities for young people.
During their voluntary day, the team from Unite Students helped us with a number of outdoor tasks, where they spent the day in the clubs multi-sports court and around the clubs other external facilities. The team helped us with weeding, cleaning, cutting back brambles and sweeping around the club.
“Unite Students get involved with volunteering days to support our positive impact goals and give back to local communities. Today’s been brilliant for team building and getting to know people we wouldn’t normally interact with. It felt great to take pride in the space, which we feel will have a great knock-on effect on the young people attending the club!”
Aaron Ford and Chris Corns, Unite Students
Thank you to everyone at Unite Students for helping us to create a safe, positive place where our young people can thrive! We appreciate your ongoing support!