Celebrating Young Bristol's volunteers at Queen's Award for Voluntary Service ceremony

Computershare employees took part in the organisation’s annual ‘On Yer Bike’ fundraising event to raise money for Young Bristol!

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‘On Yer Bike’ has been successfully running for a number of years from Computershare's Bedminster Down office.

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The event saw just under 30 employees take on the challenge of cycling routes of 20, 55 or 70 miles in changeable weather across North Somerset in aid of the organisation.

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Lucy Newcombe, Chief Peopleand ESG officer at Computershare, said:

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“Our annual On Yer Bike event is hugely popular with employees who every year set themselves the challenge of riding some of the steepest hills in the area to raise money for an organisation that provides vital services for young people aged 8-24 in the city. We’re proud to support an organisation that aims to make a difference to the lives of local young people. Our employees enjoyed the experience, which included an after-event BBQ where they spoke to representatives from the charity and learned more about the important work it does.”

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Young Bristol was pleased in 2021 to be selected as Computershare's official regional charity for the company’s workplace giving programme Change a Life, which aims to empower people and communities facing economic and social challenges around the world. 

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Since then the partnership has helped to raise thousands of pounds, organised fundraising events and has seen Computershare employees volunteering their time at a number of the charity’s Bristol-based community venues.

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Thank you to Computershare for arranging this incredible event in aid of Young Bristol.

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All donations raised from the On Yer Bike event will help us to support young people across Bristol to discover what they are capable of!

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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This week Young Bristol is celebrating Youth Work Week, an annual celebration of all things youth work between Monday 4^th – Sunday 10^th November 2024. This year, The National Youth Agency’s Youth Work Week explores, ‘A right to youth work for all – delivering positive futures for young people’.

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This years theme highlights the many ways that youth work spaces are made accessible to all, enabling young people to explore and celebrate their own identity and values.  

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At Young Bristol we are committed to continuing our Mission and our strategic investment, providing safe places, a supportive environment, and activities and opportunities which support young people to feel empowered, included and not alone

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Providing safe places for Bristol’s young people

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Our work provides young people with safe, welcoming, inclusive places where they can be themselves, build friendships, and access support when they need it most.

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Our Youth Clubs and services continue be at the core of communities, giving young people the safety and support that they cannot find on the streets, acting as the bridge between home and school life.  

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• 1,345 young people were supported through our open access sessions throughout 2023 – 24.
• Our 9 community venues in North, East and South Bristol continued to open their doors up to 4 nights per week.  
• During 2023 – 24, 16 communities were positively impacted by our work, with 3 new communities supported by Young Bristol who had not previously received any youth services.
• We’ve invested £528,280 into capital improvements at a number of our community venues since 2022; making improvements that would help to create environments that young people can thrive in.

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Championing youth participation

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It is vital as an organisation that we continue to keep young people at the heart of everything that we do.  

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Through consultations, regular discussions, workshops and events, we give young people the opportunity to discuss and share their issues and ideas, inform programme development, raise awareness of young peoples’ needs and challenge stereotypes.  

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We continue to encourage and support young people to volunteer across our programmes; where they can gain new experiences, develop their skills and empower them to succeed

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During 2023 – 24, we encouraged and supported 27 young people to volunteer. Young Leaders helped at their Youth Clubs and trainees from our Outdoor Employment Programme supported our Gig Club.

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Here are some stories from young people who are Young Leaders at our Youth Clubs:

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Eli, age 16, has overcome a number of challenges prior to joining The Grove. Prior to joining the club, Eli spoke very little English.

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Despite the challenges he has faced, Eli has shown exceptional dedication and commitment to our Club and has been a great role model for other young people.  

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Eli completed his Young Leader training in February 2024. He now actively volunteers two days a week at the club, where he uses the skills he learned to help and support younger members by teaching and coaching them how to play football.

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Gracie, age 15, has overcome so many hurdles presented to her and has grown in ways we could never have imagined.

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Despite these challenges, Gracie has integrated incredibly becoming a key member at BS14 Youth Club and strives to maintain her own mental health and as Gracie looks to the future, she dreams of becoming a Youth Worker after completing service in the Army.

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With Gracie growing as a natural leader, the team at BS14 Youth Club arranged for Gracie to begin volunteering as a Young Leader at the Club’s Junior sessions.

We continue to prioritise young people as we look to the future. To find out more about our work with young people and the opportunities we provide click here.  

This week, Young Bristol is celebrating National Trustee Week, which is an annual celebration of the achievements and incredible work Trustees offer to our charity, between Monday 4th November - Friday 8th November.

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Young Bristol's Board of Trustees are a group of volunteers who help to drive our developing work with children and young people across Bristol.  We are pleased to work with 11 trustees, who are responsible for the strategic direction and development of the charity.

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Here are some stories directly from our Trustee's:

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Jamie Cameron has been a Trustee for Young Bristol since 2011! He was initially attracted to work with us as he wanted to be a part of our commitment to providing new opportunities for all young people!

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Since becoming a Trustee, Jamie has been involved in a wide variety of projects, from fundraising events and developing partnerships to large-scale volunteering projects and working on the development of our strategy.

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Jamie has had many highlights during his time as a Trustee. However, a stand out memory was witnessing, first-hand, the true, positive impact that we have on the lives of young people! When his son tried kayaking for the first time, he was nervous to sit inside a kayak. Now, he proudly considers himself a kayaker, after just a few sessions.

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"Since becoming a trustee at Young Bristol, I have developed a really interesting network of people and who I have been able to get to know and learn from. I have also gained really valuable experiences of working in different ways."

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Kassim Hanid has been a Trustee for Young Bristol since 2011! With a background in youth work, Kassim was initially attracted to join us as he wanted to help keep youth work alive in Bristol and support our offer to be accessible to a diverse group of young people living in Bristol.

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Since becoming a Trustee with Young Bristol, Kassim has been involved with supporting our strategic development, recruiting other Trustees, providing advice and offering a listening ear to our staff regarding the issues that young people face and youth work.

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A key highlight for Kassim whilst working with Young Bristol has been seeing the immense progress the charity has made since he started with us as a Trustee. He has been part of the many highs and lows that we have experienced over the years, and has thoroughly enjoyed being on board for our journey so far.

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"Through serving on Young Bristol's Board, I have met other Trustees who I would never have met, or worked alongside in my life."

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Thank you to our Board of Trustees for your continued support and voluntary efforts to support Young Bristol and the young people of Bristol! Find out more about our Board of Trustees here!

Now more than ever before, young people and families across Bristol need the support of charities like Young Bristol.

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Next year, you can make a difference by taking on a challenge whilst supporting a local cause. Whether you want to take part in a fun run, build up your physical fitness with a half marathon, or push yourself to the limits with an Ultra challenge - grab your trainers and get fundraising!

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"The day was perfect for running and it was great to meet everyone running for Young Bristol - the build up was made easier knowing you're raising money for a worthwile cause.”

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Justin, Bath Half Marathon runner

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Calendar of 2024 events:

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• The Winter Green Man Ultra - Saturday 1st March 2025, Bristol
• Bath Half Marathon - Sunday 16th March 2025, Bath
• AJ Bell Bristol Run - Sunday 11th May 2025, Bristol
• Cheddar Gorge Challenge - Sunday 8th June 2025, Bristol
• Tough Mudder - Saturday 16th August 2025, Gloucester

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Running for Young Bristol is straightforward - and FREE! We'll cover the place cost for you, and you will get your own complimentary Young Bristol branded vest. All we ask is that you pledge to fundraise for us!

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If you would like to find out more information about these events, click here!

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"Fundraising for Young Bristol was a real privilege. What’s more, as soon as I explained to people what the charity does, and how it does it, they immediately “got it” and could see how their financial support would make a real difference in a real community.”

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Erik, London Marathon runner

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‍How your support will make a difference.

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Here in Bristol, Young Bristol continues to respond at the frontline with great initiatives to keep young people engaged, inspired, empowered and active. 

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• £50 pays for a young person to go on a residential experience
• £260 pays for two evenings of Youth Work for 50 young people with a qualified youth worker
• £350 pays for one young person on our Outdoor Employment Programme to gain a First Aid qualification‍
• £1,250 allows the Youth Club on Wheels to deliver sessions in a community with no provision for a whole month

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Our Fundraising Team are here to support you! If you are interested in signing up to run for Young Bristol, or take part in a race not listed above then please contact our friendly team. Get in touch with our Fundraising Team on 0117 929 2513 or email info@youngbristol.com.

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!

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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!

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A parent from Speedwell's Youth Club on Wheels session explained:

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"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"

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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!

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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.

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Shea Stew, Youth Club on Wheels Lead added:

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"We create our own family whereever we are"

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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.

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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.

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Ashley John-Baptiste, presenter from The One Show explained:

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"A warm space, a safe space and a meal here can make the world of difference"

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Thank you to everyone that attended our Strategy Development meeting!

Last week, we were delighted to invite the team from Nine Feet Tall to BS14 Youth Club, where four incredible employees dedicated their day to help us improve our facilities for the benefit of young people!

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During their voluntary day, the generous volunteers from Nine Feet Tall helped by weeding around the club and trimming back the overgrown hedges surrounding our multi-sports court. This has improved our court's appearance and created a safer environment for our staff and young people.

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The team also assisted in our well-being garden, pruning and clearing the space, ready for new flowers to be planted.

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Thank you to the team at Nine Feet Tall for your support last week.

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If you are interested in volunteering for Young Bristol, click here to learn more about all of our voluntary opportunities!

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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Congratulations both! Keep an eye out for our next competition in November!