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Sharon Lovell
A warm welcome to this edition of the Youth Work Bulletin. Our special focus this issue is sustainability, a key issue for the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board, which is all about sustaining the future of youth work in Wales.
I hope you have all had a lovely summer. I have been delighted to see so many young people enjoying the ‘Summer of Fun’ events supported by Welsh Government, as well as many other activities.
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As Chair of the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board, I am pleased that the recruitment for board members is underway and will conclude shortly. The quality of the applications was exemplary which will enable me to build a Board capable of driving the change we need to move our sector forward.
However, I want to stress that some of the work needed to underpin that change is already underway. Following the workforce mapping survey that took place last year, the Welsh Government will shortly be sending a briefing around some key learning from this work. This mapping provided an initial snapshot of the youth work workforce and will be useful information for the new Board as it develops its plan for workforce development.
In addition, following the Welsh Language pilots that took place in Ceredigion and Caerphilly recently, I am also pleased to hear that an additional £440,000 p/a is being made available by the Welsh Government for the next 3 years to support efforts to encourage both young people and the workforce to use Welsh more often and to have a clearer idea of the needs of young people in receiving youth work services in Welsh.
The Welsh Government is also investing a further £440,000 pa over 3 years to support additional work to understand how youth work can reach more young people, and to identify the barriers that prevent engagement with youth work services. This could include providing support for young people with disabilities, those who are socio-economically disadvantaged, support for young people identifying as LGTBQ+ and any other area where young people are not currently accessing services. Funding will be made available to local authorities who will be required to work with the voluntary sector to develop and deliver services. Partnership work is critical for sustainability.
This Autumn many young people will be at risk of experiencing poverty as a result of the rising cost of living. As we face these economic challenges, in addition to the existing issues affecting our young people, I think that youth work services will be relied upon more than ever to provide support.
Some of my first priorities as the Board gets established are undertaking a funding review for the sector, explore strengthening the legislation for youth work and examining the role and remit of a national body. The time for building sustainability in youth work is now.
Ellie Sanders is 18 and from Swansea. Ellie is a Climate Cymru Ambassador and Steering Group member, as well as being Secretary of the Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales (Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales) and a member of WEAll Cymru. Ellie has the following message for young people and for those supporting young people in Wales.
‘One thing I hear a lot – and particularly from young people – is, “there’s no point in me doing anything, I am one person. What difference is something I do going to make? Even if I wanted to do something, I wouldn’t know how to make a difference to something that affects the whole world anyway”.
If I could give one message to the young people of Wales in response to this, I would say “You are powerful. More powerful than you think. You and your actions matter.”
My journey has been about climate activism, but the same message goes for other issues too. The actions and opinions of young people do matter and the most important thing we can do is encourage young people to get involved however they can.
I feel very proud to be able to say that I was one of the first Climate Cymru Ambassadors. I became involved in the network from its conception and what a journey it’s been! What appealed to me most was our ambition – to take 10,000 Welsh voices to COP26, which was never going to be an easy task. At the time, I was relatively new to the World of climate activism and felt a bit useless. What could I, a 16-year-old young woman from South Wales, contribute to a Wales-wide campaign at a global climate change conference? But I had no need to worry. At the very heart of Climate Cymru is inclusivity; an openness and acceptance of everyone, regardless of your identity and knowledge of climate change.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had. I have been able to work with some of the largest charities and organisations in Wales and meet incredible people with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in their areas. All of these groups of people and individuals have been brought together through Climate Cymru, and this has allowed for collaboration and shared solutions. I have learned a lot – including what we can do as young people to help combat a global crisis. It can seem daunting and extreme to think that we have to give up our lifestyles and become eco warriors to help fight climate change. But there are so many small actions we can take that will not majorly impact our day-to-day lives, but that can seriously help our planet. What we have to remember is that whilst taking a reusable shopping bag on our weekly grocery shop instead of buying a single-use plastic one may seem tiny and insignificant, it’s still one less single-use plastic bag in the ocean. Imagine if every shopper in Wales did this. Suddenly, instead of one seemingly unimportant single-use plastic bag, thousands aren’t entering the oceans.
What’s important is that we must always have hope and recognise that our contributions, however small, add up - and our actions matter. I truly believe we have a duty to ourselves and the generations that will follow us to make the best future we can for everyone. All you need is a curiosity and desire for change.’
Great Big Green Week 2022 – starts 24 September
Climate Cymru is supporting Great Big Green Week with hundreds of events around Wales to celebrate the amazing work that’s happening around the issue of climate change and to educate people on what’s going on and what they can do to help. Head to the Find an event pages to see what is available. Great Big Green Week is a great way to start your climate action journey with your youth groups - it’s a week of positivity in contrast to the doom and gloom that many young people associate with the topic of climate change.
Young people get hands on with nature at Ebbw Vale Institute
Over 80 local children and families visited ProMo-Cymru’s Ebbw Vale Institute (EVI) in Blaenau Gwent during their Open Week to take part in a variety of free natural outdoor crafts and wildlife educational workshops.
Many of the organisations who took part are available to deliver sessions to youth groups elsewhere – past experience has shown that this type of event is a catalyst for more young people becoming active in their local communities and more aware of local biodiversity plans and other environmental initiatives. |
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EggSeeds (an educational charity) carried out workshops, sharing their passion and innovative ways to inspire and connect with children and families through natural crafting. Activities included pyrography (the art of decorating wood with burn marks), driftwood craft, pebble painting and making and sowing seed bombs to decorate the EVI community garden and take home with them.
The Gwent Wildlife Trust also took part in the week, helping everyone to build bug homes and identify different moths in moth boxes (a friendly and harmless way of collecting moths). Surrounded by flowers, plants and insects in the beautiful sunshine, families worked on their bug homes and learnt how important they were in providing a safe space for bugs to live, lay eggs, raise their young, and seek refuge from predators.
One parent commented, “There’s so much plastic and pointless waste involved in children’s activities. It’s great to come here and use natural and sustainable resources for crafts that are fun, educational and have an actual purpose. They can take them home, put them to use, be reminded of what they learnt and discover even more when the insects come to stay. It’s great for them to be surrounded by the environment that they’re learning about.”
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Lastly, the Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary visited with their rescued owls and birds of prey, using the centre and its garden to give families the chance to interact with them and find out about their natural habitats, diets, and conservation.
Sian Tucker, EVI Centre Manager stated, “It’s magical to see all these families here at the oldest institute in Wales learning about the importance of biodiversity, nature and wildlife - just like generations did 170 years before them when the building was a Scientific Institute.
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A focus on sustainability, the environment and education are a key part of our community ethos here at EVI”.
EVI’s Open Week activities were funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.
Estyn recognises quality youth work services in Torfaen
Comments by Estyn about the quality of youth work service provision in Torfaen in their 2022 report on Education Services in Torfaen County Borough Council have highlighted how excellent youth work services help build better futures, benefiting young people and communities. |
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During the pandemic Torfaen Youth Service maintained and extended strong relationships with young people through school hubs and outreach work. In the months that followed, Estyn emphasises that “high numbers of young people have returned to open access provision”.
Councillor Fiona Cross, Executive Member for Children, Families and Communities, explains how through investing in services like youth clubs and building strong partnerships with other agencies and council services, then developments are being made that will bring sustainable benefits to young people and communities.
Councillor Cross said: "We are proud of our youth service who support over 2000 young people every year. From targeted provision like young parents’ groups, to working with other agencies like schools and the Hwb in Blaenavon, they touch the lives of young people throughout Torfaen."
For full details see page 6 and 7 here.
 Torfaen Youth Service 16+ Social and Life Skills Project
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Taith Pathway 2: Partnership and Strategic collaboration funding call news
In Autumn 2022, Taith will launch its second funding call, Pathway 2 – Partnership and Strategic Collaboration. Youth work organisations are eligible to apply under this strand.
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The Pathway will fund projects between youth work organisations in Wales and their international partners who wish to work together and share their expertise and best practice towards a strategic goal.
Pathway 2 will launch for applications in October 2022. Please keep an eye on the Taith website for details of events, drop-in sessions and webinars as well as more detailed information about the scope of the pathway and top tips on how to submit a quality application.
Youth work organisations should also note that Pathway 1 (staff and learner mobilities) will open again for applications in January 2023.
For further information on Pathways 1 and 2 contact the Taith team on enquiries@taith.wales.
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ERYICA – virtual events
The European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA) is an independent European organisation, composed of national and regional youth information co-ordination bodies and networks. ERYICA promotes international cooperation in the field of youth information work and services and regularly organises free virtual events and webinars.
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The Welsh Government’s Youth Engagement Branch pays for ERYICA membership for Wales, which means that opportunities are open to youth workers, managers, volunteers etc. in the voluntary and statutory sectors in Wales. Upcoming online events include:
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How can youth information services support young refugees? II Online Café - September 30, 11:00 – 13:00 CET
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Webinar on financial literacy – October 19, 11:00 – 13:00 CET
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Webinar on mental health – November 23, 11:00 – 13:00 CET
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Guide on Youth Participation in Youth Information - Online Presentation – December 14, 11:00 – 12:00 CET
For more information, please contact: Angelina Pereira Gonçalves - Member Service Coordinator angelina.pereira@eryica.org or visit the ERYICA website.
Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales
It’s been a busy summer for the Youth Work Quality Mark (YWQM) team with the RCT Youth Engagement and Progression service successfully achieving the Silver Quality Mark and Kenfig and Pyle Youth and Community renewing their Bronze. Assessors were very encouraged by the commitment of the staff and volunteers in both organisations and excited by the good practice being exhibited. Good luck to the Vale of Glamorgan and Caerphilly Youth Services on their assessments this September, and a warm welcome to Welsh ICE who are beginning their Quality Mark journey.
The team will be in Wrexham on the 5 October 2022 hosting a seminar where organisations can find out more about the Quality Mark and what it can do for them. You can register your interest now:
English: here
Young Person’s Start up Grant
The Young Person's Start Up Grant of up to £2000 has been developed as part of the Welsh Government’s commitment to the Young Person's Guarantee. Find out more here.
Try something new with Explore
The Prince’s Trust Cymru 6-week development programme for 16-15-year-olds is running in September and October. It offers young people the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities to help increase confidence and employability skills. Find out more...
What can fearless.org do for you?
Fearless.org is the youth service associated with the anonymous crime reporting charity Crimestoppers. Fearless visits schools, youth clubs and community events providing interactive sessions for young people and training for professionals on issues relating to county lines, knife crime and hate crime. Workshops are designed to educate people drawing on first-hand experience and work to combat the anti-snitching culture. To arrange a session within your own service, please contact Kendra.Ross@crimestoppers-uk.org
Big Ideas Wales on tour – Autumn 2022
Big Ideas Wales goes on tour this autumn offering a series of events to young people who may have a business idea already, or who are simply curious about the world of self-employment. Find out more here.
Jobs Growth Wales Plus here to help our young people thrive!
If you know of a 16–18-year-old that could benefit from support to get a job or decide on their career path, #JobsGrowthWalesPlus could be for them. Take a look here.
The Code specifies the standards of professional conduct and practice expected of 82,000 EWC registered education practitioners working across Wales and is intended to guide their judgements and decisions. The revised Code is available to read now.
Educators Wales
A reminder that Educators Wales is available to youth work organisations, offering access to jobs, professional learning opportunities and information about career pathways.
Is your EWC registration record correct?
Please take the time to ensure that your personal information on the EWC Register is accurate and up to date. You can check your record now by logging on to MyEWC.
National Education Show 2022
7 October 2022, City Hall, Cardiff. Book your FREE entry pass today and come and say hello to @YWWales on stand 59!
Get in touch via email (youthwork@gov.wales) if you want to contribute to the next newsletter. We'll provide a style guide for submitting articles to us, with information on the word count of articles for the various sections.
Please remember to use #YouthWorkWales #GwaithIeuenctidCymru when tweeting to raise the profile of Youth Work in Wales.
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