The success of a launch project helping Barry youngsters plan for the future has been celebrated at an event hosted by Vale of Glamorgan Mayor Cllr Emlyn Williams.
The six-week Rathbone Cymru project, run in partnership with Careers Wales Cardiff and Vale and 14-19 Learning Pathways, supported the hardest to reach and socially excluded young people, who are long time NEET (not in education, employment or training).
Aiming to re-engage young people in learning and to create positive progression opportunities into further education, training or employment, the project helps with much-needed skills covering personal development, job seeking and community participation.
Activities included a photography studio, exercise programmes at the gym, an urban scavenger hunt, first aid training (working towards an Appointed Person’s First Aid Award), training experiences (in partnership with Careers Wales) and volunteering at a food co-op for the elderly (in partnership with Voluntary Action Cardiff). The activities are recognised by the ASDAN Award system which the youngsters gain on successful completion of the course.
During the project, the young people were also involved in making advertisements for paying clients in a Cardiff radio station, creating two tracks focusing on life and how it has affected them. Rathbone Cymru will use these tracks as part of their annual celebration achiever event on 27 January 2010, to which the launch group of learners will be invited and recognised. This will be a great experience for them to hear their music played to over 1,000 people. This exercise alone really focused the learners and made a tremendous impact on their ‘can do’ attitude. It inspired them to continue volunteering with the radio station on completion of the project. For two of the young people involved, especially, this was a major turnaround of future aspirations.
Rathbone Cymru tutor Carly Murray said: “All the young people made immense progress in terms of attitude, motivation and direction. They now have a clear idea of what they want to do.”
Expressing her enthusiasm for the project, young Emily Owens said she hadn’t wanted the course to end.
Cllr Williams said: “The launch project was a great success, not only for Rathbone Cymru and the partnering organisations, but especially for the young people themselves. It provided them with the support, skills and experiences to progress, aided by Rathbone Cymru and a network of local young people’s services. More crucially, with all the youngsters improving through the project, there is no doubt they can now progress onto something even more positive.
“Using their new found skills, qualifications and self-belief, they can achieve something more for themselves, whether that is engaging with further training, employment, education or volunteering.”
For full details on the work of Rathbone Cymru, please contact 01443 491853 or visit www.rathboneuk.org
