Youth Action Wiltshire – Service Update

Youth Action Wiltshire

Youth Action Wiltshire is the national award winning ‘Youth Arm’ of Community First. We have been working with young people in Wiltshire for over 75 years. Our success is built upon developing innovative, effective and exciting services and through the expertise of our friendly and dedicated team.
Youth Action Wiltshire programme logos with outdoor education logos

Our Achievements

This page contains a summary of our work in 2022-2023. All of these amazing achievements have been delivered with support from donors, funders, supporters and Friends of Youth Action Wiltshire.

Through our Wiltshire Young Carers Service

A total of 569 Wiltshire young carers engaged with our service provision during the past 12 months.

This includes 167 newly referred young carers who were supported to co-produce a support plan and 402 young carers who continued to work on actions within their own existing support plans.

Wiltshire Young Carers Youth Action Wiltshire YAW Logo

young carers accessed structured 1:1 mentoring or coaching programmes with our Young Carers Support Workers.

young carers accessed a total of 2517 face to face young carers specific respite places and 60 young carers accessed our staff led term time online  group webinars.

young carers received intensive support with education.

young carers were referred to our internally funded ‘Talking Therapy’ counselling provision.

young carers benefited from individualised Information, Advice & Guidance

Wiltshire young carers taking part in a sailing activity
“Support from Wiltshire Young Carers Service has made me who I am today and I am so grateful.”

“Thank you for everything, you were there for us when no one else was.”

Through our Splash service

501 young people facing challenges in their lives engaged in Splash, inclusive of 303 new referrals who were supported to assess their needs and co-produce an action plan and 198 young people who continued to work on actions within their own individual support plans.
Splash Wiltshire Youth Action Wiltshire YAW Logo

young people engaged in Splash 1:1 programmes.

young people engaged in Splash group work activities.

“My son’s confidence has increased massively thanks to Splash, the support and the other young people that he has met along the way.”

Returns from our recent parent/referrer survey recorded the following increases:

%

of engaging young people felt more confident.

%

of engaging young people had improved mental health and wellbeing.

%

of engaging young people increased their school attendance following support from Splash.

Young people take part in an archery activity with Splash
This year we have welcomed Rachel and Sharon to the Splash team, both working part-time. Both bring a wealth of experience and knowledge with them and have settled in to the team well and really bonded with the young people they are working with.
“I am extremely grateful for all the help that Splash have given my son. He is so much better than he was when he first joined Splash. The staff talk with him regularly and the activities are amazing and give him a real boost.”

“Splash makes me feel really happy.”

“Splash is an amazing programme which offers lots of support.”

Through our Project Inspire Service

43 young people, of which 18 who were Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) and 25 who were at significant risk of becoming NEET, engaged with intensive support.
“I didn’t think l could do it, but l did and l’m really proud of myself, thank you to everyone for helping me” A young person on receiving an offer of employment.

Project Inspire Youth Action Wiltshire YAW Logo
Young people take part in Jacob's Ladder activity through Project Inspire

%

of young people leaving Project Inspire in 2022-2023 (43) did so into a place of Education, Employment or Training (EET), with the remaining 16% moving into supported job searching activities.

%

of young people engaging with Project Inspire reported increased skills

face to face day groups and 3 residential projects were delivered, alongside wide ranging 1:1 provision.

%

of young people engaging with Project Inspire recognised an increase in their self-assessed mental health.

Through our Youth Club Support service

We delivered a mixture of ‘free to access’ remote and face to face training for 56 voluntary Youth Leaders from Wiltshire groups, covering Emergency First Aid, Food Hygiene, Health and Safety and Risk Management, Listening and Community Organising and ‘How To Run’ arts and group work sessions.

Through the Rural Youth Project, we engaged and consulted with 645 young people across 8 villages/towns and 4 community board areas, to seek their views on local youth work needs. Our team provided positive activities for 385 young people from these areas.

Youth Club Support Youth Action Wiltshire YAW Logo

new Young Leaders gained ASDAN awards through our residential Leadership training courses.

groups accessed wide ranging support around governance, Safeguarding, volunteer recruitment and fundraising.

groups supported with outreach staffing, we also ran 9 monthly young carers and 3 Splash clubs.

Young people attend a youth club event and take part in an activity with a parachute

Through our Outdoor Education Service

Linkeholt Oxenwood Lock-Up Logo
A total of 72 day and 63 residentials of varying length were provided for school and youth groups at our outdoor education centres (Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre and Linkenholt Countryside Adventure Centre).

‘free to access’ outdoor education sessions were provided

young people reached from our Wiltshire Young Carers, Splash and Project Inspire Services.

Young Carers Service Update

2023 is a special year for us, as it marks the 25th year of our Wiltshire Young Carers Service delivery. We have had an unexpected reduction in funding for 2023/2024 and plan to work with between 120-150 young carers this year.

We have consulted with young carers to produce a 2023 to 2024 delivery plan that includes the support measures young carers deem most effective and we will be offering this to the counties most vulnerable young carers, those most adversely affected by their caring roles.

Our 2023 Wiltshire Young Carers Service Offer Includes:

Individual needs assessment, co-production of and young carers ownership of a support plan.

Signposting to external support and services.

Individualised Information, Advice & Guidance

Talking therapy via our specialist counselling partners

1:1 intensive long-term mentoring programmes.

Advocacy and intensive support work with education matters

Regular reviews, to allow reflection on individual progress towards each young carers goals including re-assessment of each support plan on a 6 monthly basis.

Time to Talk’ flexible 1:1 sessions, offered whenever requested by young carers.

Accredited leadership training and supported volunteer placements as Peer Mentors, Young Leader’s or Young Listeners.

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Quarterly young carers Voice Groups

Regular respite activities offered via weekly, term-time online webinars, monthly face to face local young carers youth clubs and a diverse school/college holiday respite programmes including day and residential projects.

N.B. As always our service offer and activity content will be led by young carers engagement and developmental needs and to ensure equality of opportunity we will provide all 1:1 support via outreach, alongside free transport to and from all face-to-face group work sessions

Support Our Work

We are currently reaching out to existing and new supporters and funders to support this work.

If you would like to help us you can:

Make a Donation

Make a one-off donation to Youth Action Wiltshire, via our Just Giving page. Please Gift Aid your donation if you can.

Make a Donation

Friends of YAW

If you are not already, become a long-term Friend of Youth Action Wiltshire & Wiltshire’s young people

Become a Friend

Fundraise for YAW

You can fundraise for us by hosting an event at your school or workplace, see our fundraising pack for ideas.*

Fundraising Pack

Fundraising Events

Join us at one of our 2023 fundraising events and help to raise money in support of Youth Action Wiltshire.

Fundraising Events
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With kindest regards and sincere thanks for your support, from all at Youth Action Wiltshire and the young people we are lucky enough to work with.

Youth Action Wiltshire is the youth arm of Community First registered charity number 288117.

*You can email enquiries@youthactionwiltshire.org for more information about our work or for a fundraising pack.

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