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Many of us are passionate about youth work because of the lived experiences we have had. I am no different.
As a young person, I was not an achiever in school. Yet, the local youth club at Fitzalan High School in Cardiff was a great space for me. It was also where I joined a national youth organisation, Youthlink Wales, which gave me opportunities to be involved in peer-led youth work.
This is what motivated me to become the Chair of the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board and wanting to support the services that supported me as a young person.
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Unfortunately, both Fitzalan Youth Club and Youthlink Wales are no longer in existence. Neither are many others, including Whitchurch Youth Club, where I later became the Community Education Officer. I would never have dreamed, as a 14-year-old nervously stepping into a youth club, that 30 years later I would become a CEO of a human rights organisation for children and young people. When asked to measure outcomes, I think back to my time as a young person in a youth club. When asked, "What have you achieved tonight/this month/this year?" I never said, “I’m on a path to becoming Chair of the Youth Work Board or CEO of a charity.”
It was part of a journey, one that led me to feel sad that, due to cuts, today’s young people may never have the same opportunities. I share this because we are at a crucial stage of youth work history in Wales. We have a chance to reshape the future; for youth work to be a fundamental right for every young person.
The new statutory framework for Youth Work in Wales has been published, and the Board want to hear your views. There is more information in the Welsh Government youth work news section of this issue, please do respond.
I recently met with the Cabinet Secretary for Education. Future governance arrangements and shaping the legislation to ensure youth work becomes a right for all young people in Wales will be key priorities for the Board in the coming months.
Anya Sherlock, NABOD Project
It’s exciting
But heart-breaking
So many memories
Even more laughter
The end of an era
But the beginning of an amazing future
A bittersweet feeling
Seeing it all come together
All the hard work
Blood, sweat and tears
2 years of our lives
2 years of joy
2 years of triumph
2 years of anticipation
2 fantastic years of our lives
Time spent together
We became a family
Supported one another
Cried with each other
Laughed together
We created something beautiful
Something we can all relate to
Our voices heard
Our feelings expressed
We have grown so much
Blossomed into these fabulous people
Bloomed like snowdrops in spring
Opened up like lilies in water
Shot up and reached the sky like sunflowers
Pushed ourselves
Surpassed what we thought we were capable of
Let our creativity flow into this river of greatness
From Nabod to Olion
From the Deiniol to Nyth
From Blaenau to Tremadog,
Caernarfon to Bethesda,
Pen Llyn to Bangor and everywhere in-between
We have touched the hearts and souls of everyone on this amazing journey
And I am grateful to have walked this path with you all,
I love each and every one of you more than you will ever understand.
We are Team Nabod forever, in this life and the next, I hope, I know that we will find each other wherever we go, wherever we end up, you will all remain in my heart, my mind and my soul for the rest of time ❤
 Coincidentally, the NABOD project was developed to offer young people proven creative opportunities, allowing them to engage in scriptwriting, directing, and rehearsing alongside professional actors. This culminated in their participation in an OLION production held in Bangor in October, which they described as an unforgettable experience.
 "Working with Frân Wen makes sense for us and we are so proud of the success of our young people and that the project has worked so well. We had to support by transporting them from South Gwynedd to Bangor for rehearsals, but all the effort was worth it. We look forward to our next project with Frân Wen," Sian Tomos, CEO of GISDA.
RCT’s Youth Engagement & Participation Service Celebration Event 2024
The 2024 YEPS Celebration event took place at the start of the summer and gave us the perfect opportunity to showcase and celebrate some of the amazing achievements from young people in Rhondda Cynon Taff over the past year.
 For the first time ever, we held the Celebration Event on a Friday evening to really allow the night to have the full party atmosphere. This year’s theme was ‘Cwl Cymru’ as we were celebrating The Eisteddfod Genedlaethol being held in Rhondda Cynon Taff!
Across 8 different award categories we saw incredible examples of positive youth work, creative projects and thought-provoking personal stories that together demonstrated the amazing contribution of young people and youth work in Wales. The awards, hosted by two local young people were mixed up alongside some fantastic musical performances from youth band ‘The Unknown’
A huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists!
There’s still time to respond to our Youth Work consultation
On the 7th of October the Cabinet Secretary for Education launched a consultation on a proposed new statutory framework for youth work.
This represents a significant milestone in the Welsh Government’s response to the recommendations of the Interim Youth Work Board, particularly the Board’s call for a strengthened legislative basis for youth work.
The new statutory framework will require each local authority to work collaboratively with their partners, including voluntary organisations, to consider evidence of what young people need and want and set out in a strategic plan how best to address those needs to deliver a rich and relevant youth work offer for our young people.
Positive and meaningful participation structures and a ‘one sector’ approach to delivery will be central to the success of the new framework.
 We are now inviting practitioners, leaders and anyone interested in securing the best outcomes for young people in Wales to respond to the formal consultation so that we can capture a diverse range of opinions to support the next steps.
A big thank you to everyone who has fed into the development of these proposals to date.
Help us gather young people’s views on these proposals
For young people to have a full awareness and understanding of these changes, and to have the confidence to share their own experiences and opinions with us, we need your support as youth workers, youth support workers and others working with young people across Wales to encourage them to share their views.
We have developed a guide that includes discussion points for young people based on some of the key features of the proposed new statutory framework. If you would like a copy of this guide please e-mail youthwork@gov.wales.
Less than 8 weeks left to respond!
The closing date for responses is 10 January 2025.
Youth Engagement and Progression Framework (YEPF)
The Youth Engagement and Progression Framework (YEPF) outlines a process for organisations to work together to identify and support young people aged 11 to 18 at risk of disengaging from education, employment or training / who are not in education, employment or training / at risk of youth homelessness.
Following the publication of the YEPF Handbook and the YEPF guidance on early identification, work has been carried out to identify further case studies to support the delivery of the YEPF. These case studies have been developed to allow local authorities to showcase processes they have established and share their successes when dealing with challenges.
The first in this series are case studies from Cyngor Gwynedd and Caerphilly County Borough Council.
There are more case studies to be published which will be released over the next few months to allow stakeholders to learn from one another’s experiences.
Corporate Parenting
Welsh Government is currently taking forward a programme of work to transform children’s social services in Wales. One of the main elements to the Programme is to promote corporate parenting to organisations throughout Wales.
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What is Corporate Parenting?
The term “Corporate Parenting” has been predominantly used to explain a local authority’s role in the lives of children from their area who have been taken into care. To explain its meaning using local authorities as an example:
When a child comes into care, the local authority becomes the “Corporate Parent” meaning it has the collective responsibility along with its elected members, employees, and partner agencies to be the best parent it can be to that child. Every member and employee of the council has the statutory responsibility to act for that child in the same way that a good parent would act for their own child.
To find out more about Corporate parenting please visit Corporate parenting: introduction | GOV.WALES
The Corporate Parenting Charter
The Corporate Parenting Charter was officially launched on 22 September 2023. The Charter has been developed by the Corporate Parenting Implementation Group and includes a set of 9 promises and 11 principles that we are inviting any organisation to sign up to and become a corporate parent. To find out more about the Charter please visit Corporate parenting charter | GOV.WALES
A Toolkit, which sets out how organisations signing up to be corporate parents can support care-experienced children and young people to lead independent and fulfilled lives, is online.
https://www.gov.wales/what-does-it-mean-become-corporate-parent
Help us shape the future of our Digital Inclusion Policy
The Digital Inclusion team in Welsh Government would like to invite you to complete their survey from an organisational perspective to help shape the future of digital inclusion in Wales. The closing date for this survey is Friday 29th November 2024.
If you would like to arrange a meeting to provide more in-depth feedback or want more information, please contact the mailbox: DigitalInclusionMailbox@gov.wales
A Period Proud Wales
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A Period Proud Wales Plan was launched in February 2023 and sets out the Welsh Government’s approach to ensuring period dignity by 2027.
Welsh Government provides funding through the Period Dignity Grant to every local authority in Wales.
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This is to ensure free period products are available within all schools, colleges and community settings.
Every local authority has a designated Period Dignity Lead, they can provide advice and guidance on the products and training available through the grant. Additional information may also be found on local authority websites.
You can also contact period.dignity@gov.wales for further information.
Youth Work Conference – Collaboration and Partnership 2025
Limited spaces available! Register today to join us at the Youth Work Conference next year!
We hope to see you there on Thursday, 20th February 2025 for a full day of learning, key talks, a choice of workshops for youth workers, educators, and community leaders to come together, share insights, and build the future of youth engagement.
 What you can expect:
Since this is our first Youth Work Conference in five years, next year’s lineup has certainly got to be special.
We won’t give it all away now, but you can expect:
- Interactive Panel talks and Q&A’s with some of the UK’s leading youth work experts in the sector.
- Networking opportunities – come and meet new faces, learn about exciting opportunities for all and discover fresh opportunities.
- Full catering – With a packed schedule, you’ll need to be energised to tackle the day. Expect tea and coffee on entry, mid-morning breaks, lunch, and an afternoon break where you can experience locally produced food.
- Choice of both morning and afternoon workshops to attend – helping you develop your skills.
- Live Performance from a youth group to close us out at the end of the day!
- Stallholders
And here's the best part – attendance is FREE once you register!
🎟 Register Now and claim your ticket before it’s too late. Head over to Business Wales Events Finder - Youth Work Conference – Collaboration and Partnership 2025 to secure your ticket and get all the info you need.
Follow @IeuenctidCymru to keep an eye out for more updates released as we get closer to the day of the Conference. For any questions, please contact manon@cwvvys.org.uk or branwen@cwvys.org.uk
The Urdd and TG Lurgan join forces to break down language barriers
Members of Wales’ largest youth organisation, Urdd Gobaith Cymru and Irish youth project TG Lurgan have yet again joined forces to break down language barriers by releasing a new Welsh/Irish music video. The collaborative phenomenon which began during Covid-19, has amassed over 1 million views across video and music streaming services. They now add to their incredible record by releasing their 8th collaboration - Florence and the Machine’s hit song Dog Days are Over – in a mix of both the Irish and Welsh languages.
In August, approximately 400 young people from TG Lurgan and 30 from the Urdd attended the summer school Coláiste Lurgan in Connemara to record this latest release, before performing in a live concert. At the core of this collaboration is a shared vision of showcasing minority languages as the living and breathing entities that they are, ensuring that young people are given the confidence to use Welsh and Irish in everyday life.
Taith Pathway 2 is now open for applications!
Taith has opened applications for its Pathway 2 2024 funding call. This is a fantastic opportunity for non-profit educational or training organisations based in Wales to fund international collaborative projects, and some of your stakeholders may have previously benefited from this funding.
To find out further information on how to apply, visit the Education Wales website with more information about Taith, Pathway 2, and the upcoming webinars Taith will be hosting.
Don’t miss your opportunity to apply for Taith Pathway 2 funding | Education Wales (gov.wales)
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International Volunteering opportunities with WCIA
WCIA has limited fully funded international volunteering placements available this year. Volunteering is an amazing way to learn new skills, meet new people and embrace other cultures. If you or a young person you know would be interested in international volunteering please get in touch with Tom Weiser, tomweiser@wcia.org.uk.
 To be eligible for a funded placement you must be aged 18-25 and live in Wales. We can only fund placements to Europe at the moment.
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Quality Mark Update
The Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales is a unique tool for organisations to both self-assess their quality against three standard levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold, and then apply for external assessment to achieve the Quality Mark standard.
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Going through the Quality Mark process can really help your organisation come together to understand and evidence the impact of your work, challenge yourselves to improve and ensure you are meeting the needs of young people. There is lots of information on EWC’s website including organisations who have already been successful at gaining the Quality Mark talking about their experiences, as well as lots of examples of good practice for you to look at.
If you want to know, more get in touch by emailing youthwork.qualitymark@ewc.wales
Congratulations to our most recent recipients of the Quality Mark. Newport Youth Service achieved the silver Quality Mark, and Swansea Evolve Youth Service, and Community House Youth Project
on both achieving the bronze award.
EWC looking for QMYW assessors
Assessors play a vital role in helping groups and organisations identify, articulate, and celebrate their work with young people. If you’re interested, you can find more information on the EWC website.
Let’s reintroduce our Youth Work Champions!
We're excited to reintroduce our Youth Work Champions, a dedicated group of passionate individuals committed to advocating for and supporting youth work across Wales. They are a group of talented people within their own rights who have contributed to the youth work sector.
The champions role includes amplifying the voices of young people, promoting youth-centered initiatives, and fostering partnerships that enhance opportunities for growth and development.
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During Youth Work Week we introduced a few of our champions to the sector and here is what they said;
‘Becoming a Youth Work Champion is providing me with the opportunity to help support other people in speaking out about how Youth Work can change lives.’ – Molly Fenton, Love Your Period Campaign and Youth Work Champion
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‘I am delighted with the opportunity to be one of this year's Welsh Youth Work Champions. When talking about the Welsh language and its future children and young people are vital and working with them, discussing with them and hearing their ideas is a clear priority for me.’ – Efa Gruffudd Jones, Welsh Language Commissioner and Youth Work Champion
Efa Gruffudd yn cefnogi Wythnos Gwaith Ieuenctid 24. Efa Gruffudd supporting Youth Work Week 24. (youtube.com)
Get involved
Do you think you could be our next Youth Work Champion? please e-mail Manon@cwvys.org.uk or branwen@cwvys.org.uk to find out more.
Youth Work Workforce Skills and Training Audit 2024 is here!
The report stems from recommendations made by the interim Youth Work Board’s report ‘Time to Deliver’ deliver a sustainable model for Youth Work.
The Skills and Training Audit is part of a pilot initiative aimed at enhancing the Youth Work workforce. It provides a crucial foundation for training, qualifying, and equipping Youth Workers to better support young people in Wales. To read the full report, please visit - Skills and Training Audit (etswales.org.uk)
Urdd Gobaith Cymru celebrates a decade of empowering 1,000 learners through its Apprenticeship Department
In September, Wales’ largest youth organisation celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Apprenticeship Department, and a decade of empowering 1,000 young people and adult learners across Wales. Urdd Gobaith Cymru’s Apprenticeship Department is a leading provider of apprenticeships within the post-16 education sector in Wales.
Since 2014 the department has been committed to bridging the gap between education and employment and has helped over 1,000 individuals to gain hands-on experience and acquire industry-recognised qualifications.
Key achievements over the past decade include:
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The training of over 600 apprentices: The department has facilitated the training of more than 600 apprentices in a variety of sectors, from sport and outdoor education, to childcare and the youth sectors.
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A 400% increase in Apprenticeships places since 2018 (from 35 to 180).
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Working in partnership with over 80 employers on a yearly basis.
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Enabling 400 individuals to acquire Essential Skills Qualifications: The department has established its own Essential Skills Hub to ensure that learners across Wales have the option of developing and updating their Communication, Numeracy and Digital Literacy skills through tailored support, mentorship and achievement of Essential Skill Qualifications. The HWB works in partnership with training providers and colleges across Wales, ensuring access to Welsh medium and bilingual education for all.
Youth Cymru activities
Youth Cymru Mentoring Project
Our Mentoring projects in schools throughout South Wales are underway again, these sessions are young person-led and align with their individual goals, the aim is to develop the students holistically and socially. Take a look here at how to get involved, Youth Mentor - Youth Cymru
40 Years of Midnight Skate
 We invite you to celebrate 40 years of Midnight Skate, Youth Cymru’s iconic annual event! Date: Friday, 7th December Time: 10:30 PM - 1:30 AM
To apply for your tickets please visit
https://share-eu1.hsforms.com/1y2b620_hRg24w11dVr5ybQeydbn
Detached and outreach course starting December 4th
The Detached and Outreach Youth Work training course runs over several days and combines theory and practice.
To reserve your space please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/detached-and-outreach-youth-work-202425-online-tickets-1037780337927?aff=oddtdtcreator
 Bike Workshops
As part of our Renewable Futures project, we are also running bike workshops for young people throughout Newport to promote sustainable transport, and safety for young people who cycle. If you would like to get involved, please email us at communications@youthcymru.org.uk
Youth Homelessness Conference
Have a listen to Nick Hudd (Youth Homelessness Co-ordinator from Pembrokeshire Youth Service and Emma Chivers (Youth Work Advisor) from the National Academy for Educational Leadership discussing 'Leading the Charge: Preventing Youth Homelessness' at the Youth Homelessness Conference last month.
If you are a youth work leader and would like to participate in a podcast, provide a case study of your work as a Leader, or learn more about our work, please get in touch: Emma.chivers@agaa.cymru.
Leaders Well-Being Conference – spaces still available!
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As a leader within the youth work sector, your well-being and the well-being of others is a key part of your role. This years in person conference will be on Wednesday 27 November 10am-3.15 pm at the Parkgate Hotel, Westgate Street, Cardiff, CF10 1DA. Please register here. |
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 #YouthWorkinWales #GwaithIeuenctidCymru when tweeting to raise the profile of Youth Work in Wales.
Follow @ieuenctidcymru on X and Facebook to keep up to date with all news.
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