The VVU are delighted to fund detached youth work across the county for the fifth year running.
As part of this commitment, the VVU is also funding an evaluation process alongside the project. This process will help us understand what works and what makes good practice in order to share learning, support future funding bids and develop further work.
In 2023 / 2024 the detached youth work across Essex engaged with more than 5,000 different young people.
Youth Resource Hubs
A second element to this work, and in response to issues young people raised in the 2022/23 listening report, are ‘youth resource hubs.’
In the 2022/23 Listening Report, young people highlighted to us that they wanted to know more about support or youth club opportunities available for them in their local areas. To address this the VVU will support ECVYS to launch ‘youth resource hubs’ later this year.
The youth resource hubs will be delivered in each of the current VVU detached youth work areas (Tendring, Harlow, Chelmsford, Colchester, Thurrock, Southend and Basildon). The aims of the hubs are:
- to ‘spread the word’ amongst young people and youth leaders around the local youth work offer
- to reduce vulnerabilities through access to local clubs and local and national support services
- to grow and strengthen youth work in Essex through promotion of opportunities for young people
- to highlight gaps for future investment.
Working together, ECVYS and the VVU through the youth hubs, want to support the range of great youth provision already out there and further increase positive engagement from young people with the safer spaces around them.
