Fundraising at the South West Tough Mudder 2024!

Young Bristol are delighted that our Youth Club on Wheels has been shortlisted as a finalist for The Youth Work Award at the Children and Young People Now Awards 2024!

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The Children and Young People Now Awards showcase innovation and outstanding practice across the children’s services sector. The Awards champion the vital work of services supporting children, young people and families across the UK.

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Our Youth Club on Wheels was nominated for The Youth Work Award, which highlights initiatives that have done the most to promote young people’s personal development and help them achieve their potential.

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Last week was the second week of Young Bristol's Summer Holiday Provision. We saw delivery from 5 of Young Bristol’s Community Youth Clubs 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 first week of our Summer Holiday Provision saw:

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• 615 contacts with young people across our Holiday Clubs and Open Access provision
• 24 sessions across the city
• 7 communities supported through our Community Youth Clubs and Youth Club on Wheels.

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Key highlights of the week:

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At BS14 Youth Club, young people enjoyed a 'Circular Food', delivered by 50 Ways To Cook! During the workshop, young people learnt about upcycling food to produce less food waste, explored the soil beneath their feet and made nutrient rich soil to plant some seeds for them to look after in the well-being garden. Thank you 50 Ways To Cook or delivering such an amazing workshop!

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Throughout the week, we saw Hartcliffe Club for Young People team up with Merchants Academy to deliver a fun-filled week of their 'playscheme'. The sessions through the week saw young people enjoy a number of different activities, including 'Bingo Lingo', a sports day and a barbecue, bringing together young people from Hartcliffe Club for Young People and their local secondary school!

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We saw young people enjoy a number of delicious, healthy meals, thanks to the Holiday Activity Fund! Young people tucked into hot meals each evening, including a barbecue, chicken wings and fajitas!

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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.

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Find out more about our holiday programmes here.

Last week was the first week of Young Bristol's Summer Holiday Provision. We saw delivery from 5 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 first week of our Summer Holiday Provision saw:

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• 457 contacts with young people across our Holiday Clubs and Open Access provision
• 23 sessions across the city
• 14 communities supported through our Community Youth Clubs and Youth Club on Wheels.

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Key highlights of the week:

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Our Youth Club On Wheels visited eight different communities this week, including our new pilot session in Fishponds. We engaged young people in a variety of activities including sports, arts and crafts as well and discussion based activities.

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The Grove hosted a barbecue on Wednesday with our senior young people. The group enjoyed burgers, hot dogs as well as a number of vegetarian and vegan options. The hot evening ended with a game of football with staff and a water fight to cool off after the hot evening!

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Hartcliffe Club for Young People finished the week with a Bumper Day, in collaboration with Merchants Academy. Throughout the day young people enjoyed a bouncy castle assault course, rock painting and painting tote bags. The club also saw ITV News interview a number of parents about their struggles throughout the Summer and how Hartcliffe's Holiday Clubs help to ease the struggle. We are excited to see them appear on TV on Monday 12th August

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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.

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Find out more about our holiday programmes here.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Patricia Barros Inverneiro, Programmes and Youth Voice Assistant!

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Patricia is passionate about the performing arts, music, and sports. She is currently a Board Member for Theatre for Life, where she helps the organisation bring new and exciting performances to young people in schools, educating them on important life matters. In her spare time, you will often find her enjoying music and singing. Patricia is delighted to join the Young Bristol team and is excited to create new projects, helping us continue to have a positive impact on young people.

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We hope you will join us in welcoming Patricia to the Young Bristol team!

We are delighted to announce that two young people from BS14 Youth Club's Looked After Children group are the winners of our 2024 Drawing Competition!

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Last month, we hosted a Drawing Competition across our Community Youth Club network. Young people from each club were encouraged to draw an image of their choice to be entered into our competition. The creative pieces were shortlisted by Club Leader's and submitted to our judges

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We received a number of entries from across our club network, our judges chose two winners from the range of amazing creative arts skills that were showcased in the competition!

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The winners of our competition were two young people that attend our BS14 Youth Club sessions! The pair were awarded with a £15 Amazon gift card each. Congratulations both! Keep an eye out for our next competition in September!

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This month, Young Bristol were pleased to attend 299 Lighting's Padel, Pizza and Pints fundraising event, with all money raised at the event being kindly donated to Young Bristol!

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Our Fundraising Team were pleased to join the team at 299 Lighting for their Padel, Pizza and Pints fundraising event, based at Rocket Padel Bristol.

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Attendee's at the event enjoyed a coached padel session, playing against opponents of various abilities. During the two hour session, players had the choice to play continuously for the whole session, or to rotate on and off the court.

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After the amazing coached session of padel, the group had he opportunity to network with other players, who represented a number of different organisations. The group enjoyed pizza and pints whilst relaxing and networking.

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"For the past 15 years, while leading 299 Lighting, I’ve held a strong conviction that the youth of our city are the bedrock of its success. This belief led me to seek out a charity that shares these values. We take great joy in seeing our team develop skills and aspire to great heights, and it is our hope that we can contribute to the exceptional work being done by Young Bristol."

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said James, Founder at 299 Lighting

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Thank you to the team at 299 Lighting for organising the incredible Padel, Pizza and Pints event and raising significant funds for Young Bristol. We are excited to join the next event in September.

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If you would like to organise a fundraising event to raise money for Young Bristol, click here and find out how we can support you!

Recently, our Outdoor Employment Programme Trainees were pleased to join Glastonbury Festival as part of Oxfam's fully funded Volunteer Scheme!

Young Bristol and Glastonbury Festival were pleased to invite six young people from our Outdoor Employment Programme to volunteer at the iconic festival! The group worked in numerous sections across the festival weekend as part of Oxfam's fully funded Volunteer Scheme.

When our trainees weren’t volunteering, the group soaked up the amazing atmosphere during the festival, listened to some great music performed live by a number of artists as well as met other volunteers who were invited to join the festival from a number of other different schemes and programmes!

“I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who arranged for us to join the Oxfam volunteers, and helped to make an amazing opportunity for us all. It's been incredible to work at and enjoy Glastonbury for the first time this year. Woke up in my own bed this morning and it all felt like a crazy dream”

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said Jay, Outdoor Employment Trainee

We would like to extend a huge thank you to the team at Glastonbury Festival, Worthy Farm and Oxfam for making this opportunity possible for a number of our trainees and helping them to make this an unforgettable experience! Well done and thank you to all the trainees that attended who worked incredibly hard during their shifts and helped to make the whole event a success!

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If you would like to take part in our Outdoor Employment Programme or would like to find out more, click here!

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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

On Friday 5th July, we were pleased to attend the Bristol Young Heroes Awards to support our 6 young people and teams who were nominated as finalists. Young Bristol would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners at the Bristol Young Heroes Awards 2024!

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The Bristol Young Heroes Awards recognises and celebrates the valuable contribution that Bristol's young people make to the city. The awards shine a light on those who have overcome difficult circumstances, made a difference to the lives of others, or have achieved something extraordinary this year!

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Dasha, Outdoor Employment Programme - Sporting Hero

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Congratulations to Dasha from Young Bristol's Outdoor Employment Programme, who was awarded the Sporting Hero Award at the Bristol Young Heroes!

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Dasha was nominated for the Sporting Hero after overcoming considerable challenges during 2023 whilst maintaining a focus on helping others and forwarding her own potential through sports and academic studies, which has been highlighted since joining our Outdoor Employment Programme. Dasha has become a real inspiration to all the other young people attending both the Outdoor Employment Programme and The North Avon Canoe Club.

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Phil Harris, Outdoor Employment Programme Lead said,

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You are an inspiration to the sport, you are an inspiration to us and you are an inspiration to all the other young people on the Outdoor Employment Programme. I’m really excited to see where this journey takes you in the future.

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When receiving her award, Dasha added

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A big thank you to everyone for supporting me through my paddling journey!

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Missie, The Grove @ Bedminster Down - Super Hero

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Congratulations to Missie from The Grove @ Bedminster Down, who was awarded the Super Hero Award at the Bristol Young Heroes!

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Missie was nominated for the Super Hero Award as she has demonstrated remarkable resilience and dedication as a Young Leader. She has grown to be a beacon of inspiration for all and Missie has been able to build strong relationships with both staff and young people since her time at The Grove. Even in the face of personal loss when her beloved Nan passed, Missie has found solace and purpose in her volunteer work at her local youth club

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Jesse Payne, Club Leader at The Grove @ Bedminster Down said,

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Missie, you are an inspiration to everyone here at The Grove, from the staff, the young people and even myself – this is why I love doing my job is because of young people like you!

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When receiving her award, Missie added,

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Volunteering gives me a reason to be who I am and to help others. I would encourage others to volunteer. A massive thank you to everyone for pushing me to get to the stage I am at today.

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Looked After Children Group, BS14 Youth Club - Team of Heroes

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The BS14 Looked After Children team were nominated for the Team of Heroes Award after leading Open Access club sessions, specifically targeting "Looked After Children", which is the only session of it's kind in the local area. The group have welcomed 70 young people since it's launch, with 797 total contacts with these young people!

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Andy Kimber, Head of Operations said,

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I just want to thank you for the work that you do. Your commitment to young people, your commitment to BS14 Youth Club – the centre could not run without you.

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When receiving the teams award, Kat added,

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We love our jobs and you guys are all just so inspiration. This is why we do what we do as Youth Workers.

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Tremaine, Hartcliffe Club for Young People - High Sheriffs Award

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Tremaine was nominated for the High Sheriffs award as he has helped to make a massive impact at his local youth club and in the local Hartcliffe community! He has delivered social action projects, which has helped to improve the lives of local families and and residents as well as increasing the number of opportunities on offer in the area.

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Despite his own personal issues as well as the additional pressures of being a young carer at home, Tremaine has been involved with a number of groups, which have influenced major decisions that have been made for Bristol's young people city-wide. These groups include advisory panels, Young Bristol's Youth Voice and he has also met with Avon and Somerset Police, discussing ways to educate young people about prevention of involvement ingangs and knife crime.

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Web Matthews, Trustee at Hartcliffe Club for Young People said,

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When Tremaine started to volunteer, we had to put a cap on how much he attended. He wanted to be here 5 nights a week and weekends. I would be proud to have you as a son anytime. Here at the club, you have a big opportunity to grow and develop. Dare I say it, one day you will replace me - but not quite yet.

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When receiving his award, Tremaine added,

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The award itself, it’s fantastic I am grateful for it and it has touched me at the bottom of my heart, but there is something else more than that. I want to say it’s the people I have with me. They have supported me through everything. There wouldn’t be a Tremaine without them, even when I am down at my lowest, they help me.

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We would also like to extend a huge congratulations to Kyle, Amelia and Hartcliffe 10 who attended the Bristol Young Heroes Awards and were nominated as finalists in a number of categories. It was amazing to hear about the inspirational young people in Bristol who are making differences to the city everyday!