A CHARITY providing opportunities for some of Southampton’s most disadvantaged young people to develop skills and overcome challenges has recently received a three-year grant to continue with its work (October 2019).
Weston Church Youth Project (WCYP*), which hosts fun drop-in, open-access clubs, trips and holiday activities to build youngsters’ social skills and self-esteem, has been given a £308,038 National Lottery Community Fund Grant.
Project Manager, Libbi Hammond, who is based at the charity’s offices at The Venny at Weston Adventure Playground (WAP), explained: “We are so incredibly thankful to the National Lottery Community Fund for their continuation funding towards our Fun to Engage programme.
“Four years ago, the Big Lottery supported us with a grant to develop this work and this new grant will allow us to sustain what has been started and, where possible, build on it further. We have loved being able to develop this programme over the past four years and look forward to seeing how it grows over the next three.
“We hope to increase the number of volunteers we have, especially those who are from the local community, and help to support even more young people through our work. Our National Lottery Community Fund grant manager has been a wonderful source of encouragement and support with all the work that we do too.”
WCYP’s Fun to Engage project provides safe spaces including open-access youth clubs, trips and residentials for young people so they can socialise with each other, have new experiences and enjoy life.
It focuses on giving youngsters the opportunity to develop skills and overcome challenges through time limited projects in groups, as well as young leader and volunteering opportunities, with support from the projects’ workers within a group and on a one-to-one basis.
“Daniel** has been one young man who has really flourished through the Fun to Engage project. Four years ago, he was a shy 13-year-old who didn’t like to talk out loud. He was scared of being alone, worried about making mistakes and what people thought of him.
“Our open-access clubs, trips and other projects have provided him with safe spaces to spend his time. They have also been a constant source of support and he has had encouragement from our youth workers, and he has had a chance to develop his social skills through interacting with his peers. He is now a confident and reliable 17-year-old, who is our most dedicated Young Leader.”
WCYP is an inclusive charity that enables, encourages and equips the young people of Weston to live life to the full and to contribute to their wider community.
The neighbourhood-rooted, non-profit organisation works with some of the most disadvantaged youngsters in the area and the team is passionate about empowering young people and giving them opportunities that will impact on their lives now and in the future.
“This new tranche of funding will go towards staff salaries and other associated staffing costs including training, recruitment, as well as consultancy and advice, sessional workers, overheads, project work, running costs, travel, residentials, core costs and equipment for the young people we work with.”
Anyone wishing to find out more about WCYP and its work, should call 07833 610385 or visit www.wcyp.org.
