COME DANCE WITH US
Aim: To build good relationships between young and old through dance
Funding: Part of a three-year £249,000 grant from Vinvolved
Not so long ago most young people would have considered ballroom dancing stuffy and old-fashioned. But the popularity of the traditional dance form has soared thanks to television shows like Strictly Come Dancing.
So when a group of young people in North Warwickshire were trying to come up with ideas to bring different generations together they suggested ballroom dancing.
The Come Dance With Us project is part of the wider Revolve programme run by North Warwickshire Council for Voluntary Services and funded by volunteering charity V. The project has seen young volunteers learn basic dance steps and stage performances in care homes for the elderly.
Stacey Jackson, 16, got involved as part of a curriculum enrichment programme at college. "I thought it sounded interesting and when I found out it was about dancing it seemed right for me because I dance in my own time," she says.
Stacey, who enjoys other dance forms like tap, street dance and disco and teaches dance to children, enjoyed learning the traditional ballroom steps. "I've always been interested in it because of Strictly Come Dancing and was quite excited to try it," she says.
Come Dance With Us has been running for nearly a year in six residential homes. Around six to eight young people take part in each scheme and receive training for six to eight weeks leading up to a performance at an old people's home. The aim is to stage six performances a year over two years, with plans to expand into other dance forms, says David White, youth volunteering manager at North Warwickshire Council for Voluntary Services.
"A lot of elderly people in homes are quite isolated and it's one way of giving them entertainment and something a bit different," he says. "It also helps bring down barriers between the generations and the young people get all the benefits of volunteering, such as feeling good about themselves and doing something for the community."
The scheme has led to some participants continuing to volunteer and has inspired other projects, including one in which young people show older people how to use Wii computer consoles.
Stacey feels she got a lot out of the project and that it has made a difference to the older people's lives. "It was good to give them something to look forward to. Some were quite emotional because it brought back memories," she says. "I know a lot of old people are scared or intimidated by younger people and it was a good way to bridge the gap."
PASSPORT 2 PIMLICO
Aim: To bring different generations together through a heritage film project
Funding: Money came from the Up to No Good project, which is backed by £134,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £36,000 from the Rank Foundation
A project to remake a classic British film saw Pimlico residents, young and old, take a step back in time. About 40 11- to 18-year-olds and 30 older people helped recreate scenes from the 1948 comedy Passport to Pimlico, offering a chance to explore local history and break down barriers between generations.
The project was one of six in Groundwork North London's three-year Up to No Good programme. Groundwork and South Westminster Renewal Partnership commissioned AKArts to deliver the project. The young people were recruited from Churchill Gardens Youth Club.
Other support came from Citywest Homes, which funds the youth club, Westminster Children's Society, Westminster City Council, Westminster Play Service and The Peabody Trust.
The project, which started last autumn, focused on remaking iconic scenes with a modern twist. Participants got involved in everything from adapting scripts to researching costumes.
"Heritage can turn young people off but this was an accessible way for them to get involved," says Rebecca Patchett, programme manager for Up to No Good.
Scenes captured during two filming days will be woven with documentary footage to make a short film. There was an added thrill when the project featured on Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady Show.
Dean Herbert, 18, who acted in the film, says it helped change perceptions. "Me and my mates used to think old people were moany, but it's shown us they can have a laugh," he says. "All they see is young people on the telly and all the stabbings, so it's good for them to meet some of the good ones."
LONGBENTON YOUTH PROJECT REVAMP
Aim: To improve the project's ability to meet young people's needs
Funding: £16,500 from the Mayor of North Tyneside's Wellbeing Fund
Young people led efforts to revamp a base used by a detached youth project in North Tyneside.
Longbenton Youth Project's premises in a former doctor's surgery needed updating. So three young mothers, aged 17 to 19, spearheaded an application for funding, while many other young people helped with the revamp. Cash to extend the base was granted by the Mayor of North Tyneside's Wellbeing Fund, which is distributed by a team of young people called the Dosh Posse.
The work, which was completed last summer, made the centre more accessible to everyone, including those with young children, says project manager David McGuigan.
The funding provided the base with a new kitchen, an improved office and work space, new security fencing and patio doors and children's outdoor toys.
"It has made all the difference having the extra space. It's much better for group work," explains McGuigan.
While much of the project's work is about engaging young people out and about in the community, young people can also drop in at the base. Groups that use it currently include a young fathers' group.
The project works with about 325 young people aged 14 to 25 a year. The renovation showcased the work of some of the Longbenton Youth Project's success stories, including 24-year-old Ricky McDonald, who has forged a career in joinery after participating in the project's schemes.
The project also helped Chris Latimer, 22, get into employment so he was happy to help with some welding. Chris, who regularly volunteers at the project, says he is particularly pleased with the new kitchen, which is being used for cookery sessions.
"About eight to 10 people turn up and they all get a good bellyful," he says. "It's much cleaner and more open. It's really come together well."
HEALTH HUT
Aim: To turn negative energy into positive outcomes
Funding: Includes £46,000 from Norfolk Youth Fund and funding from Norfolk County Council's Active Norfolk fund, the Norfolk Community Foundation and fundraising by young people
Young people from a Norfolk youth club have flexed their muscles and put their backs into a project to build a new gym.
The Health Hut sprang from the hard work of the young people from Holt Youth Project. They helped develop plans and gain funding for the gym and fitness centre next to the project's main base.
Work on the gym is set to be completed this spring. The project was spurred by a lack of facilities for young people in Holt and has been very much led by them, explains youth project manager Julie Alford.
"We're very sport and fitness orientated around here so they came up with the idea of a gym," she says.
Originally the young people planned to apply for funding for a single piece of gym equipment but when they realised capital funding was on offer, they came up with a more ambitious plan. "They worked really hard on it as a team," says Alford.
The scheme earned the support of Holt Police, the local MP and the Northern Ireland football team manager Nigel Worthington, former manager of Norwich City Football Club. The Health Hut will take a holistic approach to wellbeing and there will be a focus on healthy eating, cooking and nutrition, as well as exercise.
One of the key benefits is that it will allow the youth project to expand its membership to older young people. "It brings 17- to 25-year-olds back into membership and gives them an identity and structured programme," says Alford. "It gives them something to put their energy into and steers them away from antisocial behaviour."
Around 250 young people will use the gym but that could double. Nicky Barnes, 17, was one of the young people involved. He explains that there were fears that funding might fall short, but they did not give up. Instead, they took part in a series of fundraising activities, including a sponsored abseil.
"I have been passionate about fitness since I was 11 or 12," says Nicky. "In this area a lot of people are keen on sport but there are no facilities."
Nicky, who works at the youth project and hopes to become a fully qualified gym instructor, believes the scheme will encourage more young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The project has become a showcase in the county and there are plans for young people and youth workers to go out into surrounding communities and help other young people form groups to devise similar projects.
"We just wanted something we could use and call our own," says Nicky.
