SPACE Shot Youth Project

The SPACE Shot team needs your support this Christmas!

Raising money to help teenagers can be like running a campaign to 'Adopt a Tarantula' or 'Give generously to Rat Rescue'. For some reason we often see young people as a problem, before we remember what it was like making that tough transition from child to adult.

What we do

Since 2014 our charity, Barefoot, has worked with hundreds of young people aged 10 -19 living in the deprived Ernesettle neighbourhood in NW Plymouth where 28.1% of children live in poverty. Based at the small SPACE Centre community building, our SPACE Shot Youth Project provides 'old-fashioned' open-access youth work where everyone is welcome and no-one is turned away. It includes:

• A safe place for young people to meet, socialise  and make friends
• Relaxing, positive things for them to do, like cooking, games and pool
• Valuable support, advice and informal education on important issues, such as sexual and mental health and using social media safely. 
• The support of  two experienced, professional youth workers whom our young people know and trust and who deal with a wide range of welfare and safeguarding issues.
• Projects, such as Diversity, which gives young people the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures, and the young people-organised Infinity Music Festival that benefits the whole Ernesettle community.  
• Free trips and visits, including challenging, fun activities like kayaking and karting that build confidence.

Since 2017 we've been so successful in helping young people and reducing anti-social behaviour that Barefoot has been invited to run similar youth groups in neighbouring Whitleigh and St Budeaux, which are both funded by local charitable trusts and organisations. Unfortunately, there's no equivalent source of grants for Ernesettle. 

This year Barefoot was one of eight community organisations honoured in the Plymouth Community Awards and we were also honoured to receive a visit to SPACE Shot from the High Sheriff of Devon who told us he greatly admired the work we were doing.

What we want to do

Our vision is simple. We must keep SPACE Shot going. When it was at risk of closing in early 2017 you came to our rescue with pledges to two successful Crowdfunding campaigns. This kept SPACE Shot in action whilst we made successful funding applications. But fund-raising is a never-ending process and we now need to fill a gap in the late winter/early spring before we can bring in hoped-for longer term funds.

We want to make sure that the young people of Ernesettle, whatever their circumstances, whatever their needs, always have SPACE Shot on their doorstep, ready to support them. 

Your pledges will help us to provide:

• Three youth sessions a week open to all young people in Ernesettle aged 10-19 (including a hot meal at every session)
• Two qualified youth workers to run safe sessions and support, inform and advise young people
• A long-promised junior residential trip
• Time for us to raise more funds and secure SPACE Shot for the future
• A contribution towards utility bills (water and electricity)

Please share our fundraiser, donate if you can and help SPACE Shot continue its support for the young people of Ernesettle (even if they are teenagers!). 

Thank you

The SPACE Shot team