Connecting Youth CIC

Connecting Youth CIC is a not for profit organisation recently set up in April 2023. We aim to serve all young people aged 10 - 19 years of age within the communities of St Budeaux, Ernesettle, and Whitleigh, in the North West of Plymouth. We will do this by delivering three detached youth sessions a week, projects and trips. We employ two Professionally (JNC) trained Youth Workers and a Finance Manager who will deliver this work. 

Connecting Youth CIC came to be after the closure of the long established charity Barefoot, which was delivering youth work and projects to these communities since 2014. Unfortunately, at the beginning of March this year the absolutely devastating news came through from the Barefoot board of trustees that funding was no longer available to carry on the fantastic work they had been delivering consistently for a number of years. This spurred the two lead Youth Workers, Jon and Carly, into action and Connecting Youth CIC was formed. This happened after an out pouring of shock from the Communities and especially their young people (please see links below).

Westcountry News Story of Barefoot's Closure

Plymouth Herald News Story of Barefoot's Closure

Second Plymouth Herald Story of Barefoot's Closure

After many years of delivering youth work to the communities of St Budeaux, Whitleigh, and Ernesettle, Youth Workers Jon & Carly already have established relationships with the young people and their families as well as strong links within the communities. We have a good understanding of the needs of the young people within the communities we serve. These needs include; 

• Lack of confidence
• Poverty and poor diet
• Feeling "disenfranchised"
• Criminal exploitation
• Lack of awareness of diversity issues
• High levels of young people living with families with substance misuse issues
• Reluctance to visit public services
• Antisocial behaviour
• lack of transport
• Need for moderated, safe, recreational spaces
• Unhealthy peer relationships - leading to substance misuse
• Poor health - particularly sexual and mental health

We aim to address these needs by offering;

• Detached youth work sessions across the three areas of St Budeaux, Ernesettle and Whitleigh three nights a week
• Sexual health/healthy relationship advice and the provision of condoms and sexual health advice through the C - Card scheme as well as support to attend clinics
• Participating in community planning of local events and activities
• Free, out of area activities - such as kayaking, surfing, paddle boarding, trips to London via diversity projects, residentials etc
• Support young people with developing their own activities and projects, based on their interests and passions

We believe that by offering these activities we will reach the outcomes we hope to achieve for all young people that engage with our project. These outcomes are that;

• Young people feel more confident with more self belief
• Young people feel safer
• Young people feel they have aspirations and control over their lives and futures

We will gauge how efficiently we are reaching these outcomes by keeping a record or these outputs;

• Total number of young people engaged
• Number of young people engaged with through detached sessions
• Number of young people accessing sexual health support
• Number of young people engaged with planning groups
• Number of out of area trips and activities
• Number of young people attending the project

We believe that this will help us to reach our mission which is;

• To build trusting relationships with young people
• To provide safe spaces for them to be able to take control of their futures
• To work with young people to break down barriers through activities, projects and events

Being a brand new project starting up we really need YOUR support to achieve all of this! 

Your donation will help us pay for two professional youth workers to deliver all our aims and objectives. It will help us take the young people we engage with on trips and activities that will give them experiences they might not have had otherwise so raising their aspirations and helping with their wellbeing so improving their life chances. 

Your donation will also help us connect the young people we work with to services and other projects. We already have strong links with Plymouth City Council, Devon and Cornwall Police, Exim Dance, Plymouth Octopus Project, Neighbourhood Watch, Belong in Plymouth, Barnardos, Together for Childhood, St Aidans Church, St Chads Church, MVV, ECFF, Whitleigh Big Local and Clarion Housing. 

Every member of the Connecting Youth Team and all our young people thank you for taking your time to read this and we hope you see fit to support us by donating to our project!