The VVU provided YMCA Essex (Chelmsford) with some funding to develop a new, free to attend Friday night youth club for young people in Chelmsford’s city centre. The club began in June 2024, providing fun activities, workshops and a safe place with qualified youth workers for young people aged 11 to 18 to attend in the city.
The club runs for three hours on a Friday evening providing young people with a great space to come and hang out at the start of the weekend.
The evening one of the VVU team visited there was a fantastic drumming workshop taking place, but other activities young people have tried have included sports, boxing, crafts and art, fashion design and even mindfulness workshops. Food is also provided.
YMCA Essex are attracting a variety of young people into the Friday night youth club, some who engage with other YMCA provision such as the young carers group. While some young people have been signposted to the venue through existing YMCA detached youth work and other young people who’ve heard about the club from friends.
While we were visiting, we saw one young person receive specific support from a youth worker for something they were upset about. Two young people told us if they weren’t attending the club they would just be hanging around one of Chelmsford parks.
The YMCA youth workers explained how the club provides some respite for those children with caring responsibilities but without being a young carers club.
They also were keen to tell us how they are engaging with the local college and how the support they offer those attending the youth club can extend further if young people need that extra help, for example support in engaging with education.
