National Youth Work Week is fast approaching (2nd-9th November) and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Services for Young People department is celebrating the fantastic work carried out by the 200+ full and part time youth workers employed throughout the County Borough.
The Council’s Services for Young People department aims to support young people through their transition from childhood to adulthood, to enable them to explore opportunities to fulfil their potential and to empower them by providing opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and attitude to fully participate in the community they live in.
Part of this involves giving young people a platform to shout from. The newly create Wicid website allows young people to find out all they need to know about the services and activities available to them in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The youth service provides youth workers to work in youth clubs, on the streets where they hang out and in specialist project teams across Rhondda Cynon Taf, with 11-25 year olds but primarily with 14 – 19 year olds.
Councillor Eudine Hanagan, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, said:
“Our Youth Workers play a vital role in the County Borough and the services they provide enable young people to take part in activities, which they may not normally be involved in. This means they develop and learn from their own experiences through fun and exciting opportunities. The Services for Young People department continues to go from strength to strength and is making a real difference to young people’s lives and their future prospects.”
One young person in Rhondda Cynon Taf that knows just how much of a difference a Youth Worker can make to your life is Allyn Jones, who was unsure of which career path to take and was in need of guidance and support. Thanks to the work of the fantastic youth workers in his area he decided to follow a career in youth work and has now become a qualified detached youth worker, helping others like himself to reach their full potential.
Detached Youth Worker, Allyn Jones, said: “A typical day may start with responding to emails, telephone messages, post or something that may have happened out on the streets the night before or possibly liaising with partners about any concerns I may have about a young person’s safety. I am here to help young people as well as provide fun activities and educational opportunities, I’m often told lots of sensitive information and have to decide how to act on them to keep young people safe. It is vital that young people trust me and know that I am here for them, you could say you are always on call, especially as I live locally. I really care about what happens to my young people, this role is a real passion, I love my job.”
Services for Young People offer a wide range of needs led activities, such as sport, food hygiene, first aid, drama, kayaking, computing, art and craft, trips and outdoor adventure. Anything the young people are interested in can usually be arranged.
Youth work hours are flexible and based on a 37hr week, the start time depends on whether an evening session is being worked. Some days may involve working longer hours but this is balanced by working a shorter day on another occasion.
The structure of the day also depends on the time of year. Services for Young People tries to offer a different variety of experiences during the holidays including various trips and activities to challenge and stimulate young people.
Head of Services for Young People, Louise Cook, said: “There is a wide variety of youth work undertaken across the County Borough depending on the individual role that is held, there is certainly no typical day and this combined with a passionate belief in the potential of young people and a real commitment to making a difference is what attracts people to this vital profession.”
If you would like to know who your local Youth Worker is or to find out what’s going on in your area call the Services for Young People Information team on 01443 744132.
