Warrington youth support service provides a range of opportunities and activities for young people between the ages of 13-19. Youth workers aim to support the personal and social development of young people during their transition into adulthood.
Opportunities and support are provided through different avenues, such as building based, within youth centres, schools and children’s centres. On detached where workers meet young people on the streets, in local parks and town centre or using our mobile to engage young people where there is little or no access to building provision.
Increasingly young people are accessing a range of outdoor adventure activities at a time that suits them. We provide, rock climbing, canoeing and mountain biking during weekends, evenings and offer a range of residential opportunities for young people to get involved in over school holidays.
The service also provides a range of specialist support to young people including:
Phaze: is a specialist young person’s drug and alcohol support service.
Youth Advice Shops: offer confidential sexual health advice and support (in partnership with Warrington PCT) other services include, contraceptive and STI screening.
GLYSS: is a project which offers support to young people who define as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender. The project also offers support and information within schools and colleges.
Alternative Curriculum Projects: The service works closely with local secondary schools to offer a range of accredited learning projects and activities for young people who have difficulty in formal educational settings. One of our projects is called ‘New Routes’ which is an innovative horticultural project based in Victoria Park.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is another very successful initiative run by the Youth Support Service, which helps a large number of young people each year to achieve accredited awards.
Mobile Youth Base: is a purposed built mobile youth centre, which travels to different neighborhoods across the borough each week. Youth workers utilise the vehicle to engage young people “where they are” and enhance the work of our “detached teams”. The mobile base can be used to offer advice, information and to support young people in a range of purposeful activities. The mobile is also used at promotional events within neighborhoods and town centre.
Our youth parliament group are called IMPACT. This is a very successful group who campaign on behalf of other young people in their communities. Young people are elected via their peers to sit on the national Youth Parliament as Warrington’s MYP’s (members of the youth parliament).
A key developing strength of the service is the range of youth arts activity on offer, the annual town centre youth carnival and ‘showcase’ events offer large numbers of young people the opportunity to show their talent and get involved in raising the positive profile of young people in the town.
For information on any youth service activity or support group please contact 01925 442874 or email itsallaboutyouth@warrington.gov.uk