Helen shares YWF plans for the summer
As schools break up for the summer and the holiday season begins, young people in Westminster are starting to think about what to do – and there’s a lot on!
At YWF we have been busy supporting our member organisations to plan and advertise their summer programmes through Our City. Funding from Westminster City Council and from the government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme means that there is lots to enjoy in the borough. There are over 45 organisations providing activities for children and young people this summer- ranging from football and basketball to arts and crafts, and dance; there is something for everyone. Don’t forget to have a look at what is happening at the galleries and other cultural organisations –they are there for Westminster residents not just tourists! You can find out what is going on this summer on Our City.
While children and young people are busy enjoying activities this summer, our team at Young Westminster will be busy visiting the range of opportunities on offer and asking young people what they think about the activities, we would also like to find out how you feel the activities could be improved, so do tell us what you think by getting in touch with us.
Our focus at YWF will be on our own Needs Analysis research project. Over the last few months, we have been busy training a team of young researchers who will be out and about this summer interviewing their community and peers across the borough on their experiences growing up and living in Westminster. This is our third Needs Analysis. The feedback has helped shape the focus of our work and has helped us work with local providers and Westminster City Council to ensure that children and young people are involved in shaping and developing existing and new services. If you would like a young researcher to visit you or your youth group to share your views, please get in touch with us.
Alongside carrying out our Needs Analysis, we are also asking as many young people as we can to fill in a well-being survey to understand how young people living in Westminster consider their overall well-being, we hope to do this annually to see how things change over the years.
After the summer is over, we will be collecting all your replies and interviews and publishing a report in the Autumn which we will be sharing widely with Westminster City Council, Funders, and other stakeholders such as Housing, Health Providers, and the Police. We’ll be asking our young researchers to help us present our results through our very own Question Time. To keep updated sign up to our newsletter.
The Summer gives us plenty of opportunities to go out, visit projects and remember why I love my job. Let’s hope the sun comes out and I look forward to seeing many of you over the next few weeks.
Helen
