- Area:
- Wales
England
- Release date:
- 11 7 2012
- Young people across England and Wales will gain qualifications and skills through London Youth’s pioneering “Volunteer it Yourself” (VIY) programme
- Local Wickes tradespeople will mentor and train young people to renovate 47 youth centres in a scheme backed by City and Guilds
- Media are invited to see the project in action and interview key stakeholders at the VIY launch on Wednesday 11th July from 5:30pm in a Hackney youth club. RSVP: emma.kosmin@londonyouth.org.uk
An ambitious new programme aimed at giving young people aged 14 upwards the chance to gain accredited construction and DIY skills while refurbishing their local youth centres, launches today.
The Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) scheme, run by young people’s charity London Youth, and backed by a £940,000 Big Lottery Fund grant, will see young people renovating 47 youth clubs across England and Wales, receiving mentoring from local Wickes tradespeople and gaining qualifications from City and Guilds.
The scheme is backed by Wickes, and as well as recruiting tradespeople via its nationwide network of stores, the leading home improvement retailer has donated DIY tools and materials for the project. Every participating youth club will also be matched up to a local Wickes store.
Launching the new programme London Youth Chief Executive, Rosie Ferguson, said:
“VIY is one of the most important and ambitious programmes we’ve ever been involved in at London Youth. It is important, because over the past year, youth services across the country have faced budget cuts, and many of the youth clubs that we work with need investment to help them continue to deliver the services that young people in local communities need.
“And it is ambitious because we believe the partnership we have developed has the power to genuinely transform the experience that young people have within their clubs, to help them learn from skilled older people in a way that benefits all within their community and have a better chance of building their own career.
“At a time when youth unemployment remains very high VIY will give clubs and young people a massive boost – and we believe it is something that other partnerships can replicate and build on, so more young people benefit.”
VIY has been made possible following a £940,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund, which will enable the scheme to be rolled out across England and Wales. Describing the importance of VIY, Rajay Naik, Big Lottery Fund Board Member, said:
“The Big Lottery Fund is delighted tobe backing this scheme, which will make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of young people.
“We understand that it is a very difficult time for many young people who are struggling to find work and training opportunities. Volunteer It Yourself is aninnovative way to offer them meaningful work experience and the chance to gain valuable qualifications, which will hopefully bolster their chances of securing futureemployment.
“Beyond that, we are also givingyoung people the opportunity to havetheir local youth clubs refurbished, ensuring that they have a safe place to socialise and get involved in positive activities for years to come.
“These are challenging times for the nation but at the Big Lottery Fund we are determined -through our investments, partnerships and national role - to ensure that all people, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to succeed."
Wickes tradespeople are being invited to give their time and expertise to the project on a voluntary basis to deliver over 50,000 hours of volunteer support across the programme.
Brand Director, Tony Holdway of Wickes, commented:
“Last month, government figures revealed that the proportion of 16 to 18 year olds not in education, employment or training has risen by 8%. In parallel we know that although 60% of tradespeople entered the trade through being an apprentice, a staggering 82% do not currently employ one.** The VIY project bridges these two problems and provides an effective solution; training apprentice-ready young people to address a specific industry need. British tradesmen have a wealth of knowledge and experience and at Wickes we are passionate about safeguarding this for the next generation of tradesmen. This project not only helps rejuvenate youth clubs in need, it also capitalises on the expertise and generosity of our country’s local tradesmen who are at the core of their communities.”
The national launch of VIY is built upon an initial successful pilot in South London. The Streatham Youth and Community Trust club has been transformed as a result of work done by local young people, supported by a range of businesses.
Sophie Manzi, 17, a participant on the pilot VIY project, said:
“I’ve been coming to this youth club for ten years now, and the facilities had become very run down and tacky. So the chance to freshen it up was welcomed by everyone.
“VIY exposed me to an industry I had never considered before and the accreditation I gained in building and work skills has given me a real advantage moving forwards. Like most young people, I’m concerned about getting a job, so gaining vital on-the-job skills, and working with a trade mentor who knew the industry means that I feel better prepared.
An event to mark the national launch of VIY will take place on Wednesday 11th July, 5.30pm at The Pedro Youth Club, 175 Rushmore Rd, London E5 0HD. The event will include talks from project stakeholders as well as an opportunity to see DIY training in action amongst young people and Wickes tradesmen. Interviews are available on request. Media interested in attending should RVSP to emma.kosmin@londonyouth.org.uk
The Pedro Club is one of the first clubs to benefit from being part of VIY.
James Cook MBE, Club Manager at the Pedro Club said:
“The Pedro Club is one of the oldest youth clubs in London today. It is a much loved centre, providing important services and facilities in an area where there are many challenges for young people, so we are very pleased to be part of the VIY programme.
“VIY will give young people at the Pedro Club the chance to improve the facilities here, to learn new skills and to build links with skilled workers from within the local community.”
The training that the young people receive as part of VIY will all be accredited by City and Guilds, to assure its quality and ensure the participants get the best out of their experience. Chris Jones, CEO and Director General of City and Guilds, said:
“City and Guilds is delighted to be accrediting and partnering with the VIY programme. We want to encourage all young people to discover their talent and develop their skills to unlock their full potential, and this project will undoubtedly enable participants to do just this. The programme will enable people to give something back to their local community, whilst also providing valuable work and life experience. We believe that learning has no limits and by offering young people the chance to get a taste of a varied, exciting career, we hope we will be putting them on the right path to future success.”
Working alongside London Youth todevelop and deliverVIY is the The Co-Sponsorship Agency, anorganisation that specialises inpulling togethercross-sector partnershipstoaddress important social issues and challenges. Tim Reading, Director of the Co-Sponsorship Agency, said:
"VIY is a great example of different organisations working together to achieve something significant that none of the partners could achieve alone. It’s also about organisations contributing assets other than cash in helping to benefit communities in which they work, such as the skills and talents of their employees and customers, as well as their products andfacilities."
Notes to editors
Contacts
For interviews, or to discuss photo or filming opportunities at one of the clubs or with young people, please call Shivangee Patel on 020 7549 8802 or 07736619606 or Jim Minton on 020 7549 8819 or 07736 619596.
The Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888, Out of hours: 07867 500 572, Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030, Textphone: 08456 021 659
Journalists are invited to see the project in action and interview key stakeholders at the VIY launch on Wednesday 11th July from 5:30pm in a Hackney youth club. RSVP: emma.kosmin@londonyouth.org.uk
Research quoted in release
** Wickes research conducted by 72point in February this year amongst 500 tradesmen nationwide. Other figures from government data cited at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jun/28/pupils-staying-in-school-after-16
About the VIY partners
London Youth is a network of 400 community organisations serving 75,000 young people and their families in neighbourhoods across every London borough. We want everyone growing up in and around London to enjoy access to high quality youth work – structured, developmental activities, someone to talk to and a positive peer-group – all within a safe, stimulating and supportive environment.
London Youth’s mission is to help young people be the best they can be. Its vision is of a great world city in which every young person, whatever their background, is valued and challenged to do just that.
We do this in London through an ever evolving range of contemporary programmes covering youth action and youth leadership, sports development, employability, the environment, tackling youth crime, youth work training, the London Youth Quality Mark (our quality assurance scheme accredited by City and Guilds), and at our two outdoor residential centres, Woodrow High House and Hindleap Warren, which also host Activenture, our residential adventure weeks for young people with disabilities.
Full details of London Youth’s work can be found on the website: www.londonyouth.org
The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery. BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and awards grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since June 2004 BIG has awarded over £4.4bn.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888, Out of hours: 07867 500 572, Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030, Textphone: 08456 021 659
Full details of the work of the Big Lottery Fund, its programmes and awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Wickes has over 200 stores nationwide and is an established brand within the UK DIY Market. The stores are designed to appeal to serious DIY customers who carry out more complex projects and tradesmen who undertake general repairs, maintenance / improvement projects for households. Wickes also offer a design and installation service for kitchens and bathrooms.
The Co-Sponsorship Agency (CoSpA)specialises in creating, delivering and enhancing social action projects by identifying and enabling cross-sector partnership and funding opportunities. Most of its work is focused in areas like education and training, social enterprise, health and sport, and volunteering and community cohesion. CoSpA's role on VIY includes developing the original concept, putting in place partnerships and sharing project management and delivery tasks with London Youth.
City and Guilds is the UK’s leading vocational education organisation. Established over 130 years ago, we offer over 500 qualifications across 28 industries and awards approximately 2 million certificates every year. Our core purpose is to enable people and organisations to develop their skills for personal and economic growth, and we do this by helping to shape education policy within the broader economic landscape.
Even though City and Guilds is a global organisation, we are still dedicated to supporting the local communities within which we work. We understand that our impact on the environment around us must be built into a business approach that embraces the wider community. Learning has the power to transform lives, and it’s our responsibility to recognise the challenges young people face and work with them so they can fulfil their potential. For example, we regularly contribute to volunteering schemes and provide bursaries for those who are unable to financially support their development. Through VIY, we are giving people the opportunities they need to succeed.
Tags