Youth work in St Budeaux and Barne Barton has been given a £10,000 boost which will support the highly-successful Community Ambassadors programme.
Tamar View Community Complex have been running the Community Ambassadors project aimed at young people aged 11 and over for the past eight years. And for the last two years a Mini Community Ambassadors initiative has involved youngsters aged between eight and 11.
Clarion Housing has now confirmed that it will provide a grant of £5,000 for both the programmes in the next 12 months, congratulating Tamar View on the success of their activities over the years.
Pat Patel, general manager of Tamar View Community Complex said:
“We’re delighted that this significant amount of funding is being made available for the Ambassadors programme.
“As the main providers of youth work in Barne Barton, Plymouth, we aim to take a young person-led approach to our practice, empowering young people to make positive change in the community. All the young people involved have benefitted immensely from getting involved in social action and community activities.”
He said that the Ambassadors had been involved in a range of activities in the past year, including litter picks, organising fun days and community art projects.
“Our aim is to encourage young people to get involved with making improvements in the local community and at the same time helping them to achieve their full potential,” he added.
He said that four of the original Community Ambassadors from eight years ago had had gone on to study at university after leaving school and were all doing great work. One of them is Kaytie Thomas, who is now Tamar View’s senior youth worker – one of four employed by Tamar View.
“Kaytie still lives in St Budeaux and was so inspired by the impact of her time with the Community Ambassadors programme that she decided to return and be at the heart of youth work in Barne Barton after graduating from university,” said Pat.
The Community Ambassador Programme was an initiative launched by Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of the Clarion Housing Group in 2013.
It involves groups of between 10 and 12 young people who are passionate about making a positive difference in their communities while developing their own skills and knowledge.
