The 60x14m climbing wall consists of four areas suitable for begin- ners to advanced climbers
X-Games winner Rune Glifberg from Denmark, in action within the skatepark’s concrete bowl
MOHAMED FAWZI DISTRICT MANAGER, YOUTH CONNEXIONS
What is Youth Connexions? It’s part of Hertfordshire Services for Young Peo- ple and provides youth work/positive activities, information, advice, guidance and support to young people aged between 13 to 19 years (up to 25 for young people with learning difficulty or a disability). It also offers vol- unteering, training and job opportunities.
Why did you set up the one-stop-shop concept at XC? It’s important to stress that young people are the centre of everything we do in the service, from planning and delivery to evaluation of services. The one-stop-shop concept at XC was
a result of our consultations with young people who wanted all services “under one roof”, as previously they had been passed from pillar to post – to and from different providers. Further consultations highlighted the
need for a teen health clinic, counselling provision and an extreme sport facil- ity. This dream became a reality through partnership working with Dacorum Sports Trust, Dacorum Children’s Trust Partnership and Dacorum Borough Coun- cil and lottery funding from myplace. This ensured that information, advice, guid- ance, training, volunteering, youth work, positive activities, counselling, a teen health clinic, music and media services and extreme sports are under one roof.
How were young people involved in the project? Young people were an integral part of the project. They helped to: choose the venue; work on the design with the ar- chitects; interview and commission the
Issue 1 2012 © cybertrek 2012
Youngsters can get employment advice and a volunteering opportunity in the same building
sub contractors; and were part of the monthly, on-site progress meetings. They also form part of the Youth Management Shadow Board.
What can be learnt from this project? The myplace Big Lottery fund recom- mended our consultation process with young people as a model of good prac- tice. This was due to the fact that 14,000 children and young people were con- sulted through open days, stakeholders events, questionnaires, focus groups and school presentations. The creative approach of this facility
enables young people to prepare their CV, meet a personal advisor and/or an employment training advisor regarding a job or a volunteering opportunity, visit a counsellor, take part in a job club, pro- duce a CD in the music studio, participate in an anger management programme or a workshop on knife and gun crime and then head downstairs to enjoy a skate- boarding, climbing or caving activity.
How are you expanding you reach? Young people visit the XC from all parts of Hertfordshire and as far afield as Scotland. Promotion and marketing is done through tweeting, Facebook, Channelmogo (Youth Connexions’ website), open day events, taster days and school newsletters. We also raise its profile through our
partners, which include the police, the primary care trust, the voluntary sector and local faith and community groups.
Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 31
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