Here is an updatefrom Worth Unlimited an organsiation I was involved with for a while, if you are doing anything with young people at risk it will be worth a read, just so you can get a feel for the organisation. With stuff now happening all over the country it is great to hear how they are growing and impacting so many young people.
2008 has started at a fast pace across the branches with lots of developments and progress made. So much so that in fact it is impossible to contain everything that we could tell you about Worth Unlimited around the country within this one single email. We suggest that as well as what you read here, you do contact our Branch directors around the country who will be more than happy to provide you with even more stories and accounts from their branches which is where the real graft is done building hope, unlocking potential and realising worth among young people.
In this update :
· A Story … as yet unfinished
· Youth Mark Recognition for Local Branch
· Bridging the Gap
· New Initiative encourages wider Church involvement
· Macclesfield Grows
· Worth Unlimited in the Tyne Valley
· Significant Government financial backing for Worth Unlimited
· Media Interest Grows
· OCN Accreditation for “World Worth Living In”
· Annual Bike ride details announced
· Conclusions
A story … as yet unfinished
Once upon a time … there was a charity called dare2, set up with a significant launch grant from a businessman to help promote best practice in work with marginalised young people in UK. Just over two years ago its CEO, David Boul, met Tim Evans and realised he and Worth Unlimited had skills dare2 needed.
David continues the story, “A cross-funding arrangement was agreed and Tim got started on a strategic plan for dare2. Tim and I realised quickly that the two charities had far more in common – vision, mission and goals. By this time last year they had worked out a strategic alliance in which dare2 funded good practice development and testing with Worth.
With encouragement from both boards, co-operation got closer. Then last October we happily did the obvious and joined forces under the Worth Unlimited identity. Rather than go through the complexities of formal merger, dare2 trustees joined the Worth Board bringing the remainder of dare2’s launch grant.
All this may sound a bit remote from the world of a marginalised young person, but … together we now have a stronger national team to support Tim, a new treasurer – that’s me, and an increased number of branches with a strong emphasis on best practice. More importantly though, together we are having more impact with young people.”
Youth Mark Recognition
Worth Unlimited for Waltham Forest has just been awarded a Bronze level Youth Mark by the North London Connexions Partnership, following an intensive inspection of the projects that we run by a team of young people from North London Connexions. A team of young people including a young person who was one of our service users when she was young, spent more than 20 hours visiting the Mobile Youth Venue, a local secondary school and our office, speaking with our staff and many of the young people we work with. Their conclusion was that Worth Unlimited provides services that are welcoming, easy to locate, warm, cosy and user friendly.
Matt Perry received a certificate and award on behalf of the team of staff, volunteers and management group and assured the inspecting group that where areas for improvement had been identified (around making our policies easier to access and wearing name badges especially on the Mobile Youth Venue) these would be acted on. “We were keen to be inspected by young people,” said Matt, “Because as our service users it is their opinions that we value the most and want to act on. I am glad that the inspectors found our team and projects to be welcoming and friendly for young people and that they have given us some good ideas to build on and use to improve further what we offer.”
Bridging the Gap
15 young people from local Muslim and Christian communities in Waltham Forest recently spent a weekend together in Cumbria with support from our team and the Active Change Foundation. We explored the question “One Community OR Worlds Apart?”. The young people who got on so well together concluded that Waltham Forest could be and should be one community and that this one community is diverse with many different faiths and cultures making a contribution, not unlike a football team with different players playing different roles but still being ONE team.
The BBC filmed part of the residential broadcast a film about the project on BBC 2 on Friday 14th March on the Daily Politics Show which included comment by a Minister for Community Cohesion.
Meanwhile the young people plan to meet again to plan further activities and events which express to the wider world that together we can be a united community able to resist threats from those who seek to cause division and isolation.
New Initiative Encourages Wider Church Involvement
Worth Unlimited in the West Midlands is launching a new initiative to encourage churches, groups and individuals to effectively engage with the most disaffected young people in their communities.
We are seeking to work in partnership with churches, community groups and individuals who have a passion and vision for working with marginalized young people. Through a number of flexible options Worth Unlimited can help develop strategy, provide policies and procedures, assist with fundraising, provide appropriate training and provide access to other resources.
Gareth Brown, Branch Director for the West Midlands said, “Worth Unlimited recognises that in deprived communities the best people to be involved in setting up projects are those already committed to their locality. We want to get alongside those people to help develop vision, ideas, passion and energy into something that effectively impacts marginalized young people in their local area. We also recognise that not every project is in the same position and want to provide a variety of options that help with those projects, from those at the ideas stage to those that have been established for many years.”
If you would like more information about how Worth Unlimited in the West Midlands can help your initiative or project then please contact Gareth Brown on 0121 693 5013 or 07786 074977 or email him at gareth@worthunlimited.co.uk
Worth Unlimited for Macclesfield :
The Cre8 Youth and Community Project
Cre8 Hub
We are negotiating with Cheshire Peaks and Plains Housing Trust in order to gain use of two former council houses as a Community Hub. The proposal is that Worth Unlimited will be the lead on this community based initiative, providing a building in one of the toughest areas of the Moss estate from where agencies such as Children’s Services, Health and Education can gain direct access with hard-to-reach young people and families. The proposal includes the conversion of part of the building as living accommodation for a youth and community worker.
Off Beat
This new outreach project is building momentum – literally. A mountain bike repair and cycle ride activity is proving popular with a small group of lads, they are now busy making plans to take part in Worth Unlimited’s ‘Dare 2 Ride’ in June. We have also been building relationships with other groups of lads, some of whom are involved in serious anti-social behaviour. This has involved careful and sensitive partnership working with ASBO enforcement and Youth Offending Team officers. One of these lads is now working every week on the garden project and want to start WWLI !
Riding Lights
Riding Lights Roughshod is a professional touring theatre company and it’s coming to the Moss Estate in May this year! As a grass-roots community touring theatre company, Riding Lights specializes in developing drama skills with marginalized young people and communities. They will hold workshops and perform their 2008 show Hope Street in the week of 12th -16th May. Hope Street is a show which zooms in on the compelling drama of everyday life of all of us and asks: where does our hope come from?
Cre8 Gardeners
The Social Enterprise be ready to start next month, general garden maintenance will be undertaken by two young people who have spent over six months working on the St.Barnabas garden project. Cre8 Gardeners will provide permanent employment for young people in the Macclesfield area. We are working on a business proposal with Cheshire Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, whereby Cre8 Gardeners will undertake garden maintenance work for the Trusts’ tenants who are unable to maintain their gardens themselves.
Worth Unlimited in the Tyne Valley
We are pleased to announce plans to launch a new Worth Unlimited branch in the Tyne Valley. Julia Myles who lives in Hexham is leading conversations with various local Christians in the area as well as the main education and youth support service providers to identify the needs and to mobilize Christian activity to address these needs.
Being a rural area, the issues are perhaps slightly different that those experienced by young people in urban environments that Worth Unlimited has traditionally focused on, however the needs are no less significant and the sense of isolation and risk of marginalization are for some young people more acute in the rural context.
Please pray for Julia and for Ruth Corless from FYT as the seek to connect with the right people and establish the local vision that God is giving them. Prayer also for Andrew Musgrave as he seeks to provide meaningful support and encouragement from the Worth Unlimited national team.
Elsewhere Andrew is continuing his strategic development role having early conversations with local Christians in particular in the Essex area of the South East. Please continue to pray for these discussions and for those considering partnering with Worth Unlimited to serve vulnerable and at risk young people in their communities.
Worth Unlimited receives significant government funding
The Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) Grant Programme, managed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (formerly the Department for Education and Skills) have recently announced awards made to 99 organisations throughout the United Kingdom and Worth Unlimited is one of only 4 Christian bodies to receive this funding.
The Grant Programme awards funding to third sector organisations whose work improves outcomes for children, young people and families and is in line with the overall strategic priorities of the Department.
Worth Unlimited has been given £151k over 3 years which will fund our National and Best Practice Manager and support the delivery of our newly developed programme for marginalized young people, “A World Worth Living In” – see below.
Kevin Brennan, Minister for Young people, said:
“I was delighted to see so many high calibre applications from organisations working across the sector. All of these organisations provide invaluable help and support to millions of our most disadvantaged children and young people each year.
“Today’s announcement will enable each of these organisations to build on their work and help thousands more young people fulfil their potential and is a testament to the Government’s continued commitment to the third sector and the vital work that it does.”
Media Interest Grows
We have noticed a significant increase in media interest in the work of Worth Unlimited across the country since December when the Mobile Youth Venue in Waltham Forest featured on BBC London News including coverage on the radio and internet. The BBC have also featured the Bridging the Gap project, see above, UCB Radio came and spent a day with Tim Evans and Gareth Brown in the Midlands and reports about Worth Unlimited have been spotted in Christianity Today and the United Reformed Church Magazine. None of this media coverage has been solicited by Worth Unlimited staff so it is encouraging that the Christian and secular media are beginning to recognise and report of what til now has been a fairly well kept secret.
Please pray that our teams will engage well with the media and that the new interest will provide good opportunities to share Christian concern for vulnerable and hurting young people in line with Gods agenda to bind the broken hearted and set captives free, and our assurance of the offer Jesus announces of shalom – wholeness being available to all.
OCN Accreditation for World Worth Living In
We are pleased to have just been advised that our flagship programme “World Worth Living In” has now been approved by the Open College Network which means that work undertaken by young people on this programme who are out of work or taking part in our alternative education programmes can receive accredited units that can stand alone or be added to other awards.
This development will greatly enhance the value of the programme and help the young people we work with get a foothold on the ladder of employment which often is so elusive when they leave school with few if any qualifications.
The materials and new packs for the “World Worth Living In” programme have now been produced and the programme is due to be relaunched shortly.
Contact Melanie Glass for more information.
Annual Bike Ride Details Announced
Andy Kilminister our External Relations manager is arranging the next Annual Bike Ride and is looking for energetic people to come along and join in. The ride is scheduled for the weekend of June 13th – 15th and the route is the 130 mile Lon Las Cymru (south) route.
A group of dedicated cyclists is forming and will be raising money for Worth Unlimited. If you wish to be part of the experience please contact Andy at our national head office.
Conclusion
Thankyou for reading our report. Your support and prayers are essential as we seek to provide young people with the space and the opportunity to grow and to discover all that God has created them to be.
Contact us :
Worth Unlimited HQ
The Big Peg
120 Vyse Street
Birmingham
B18 6NF
Tel : 0121 693 5013
Email : admin@worthunlimited.co.uk
Worth Unlimited London Office
434 Forest Road
Walthamstow
London E17 4PY
Tel: 020 8090 5045
email : andrew@worthunlimited.co.ukJuncture buy