Youth club launches winter sessions amid cost-of-living crisis
Megan Warren-Lister
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
A Coventry youth organisation has launched a series of winter sessions to help young people deal with the impact of rising living costs.
Backed by funding from Coventry Building Society, the Positive Youth Foundation (PYF) will provide attendees with free hot meals in warm settings as well as offering additional food parcels that can be taken home or distributed to others in the community throughout the winter season.
Krishan Singh, director of operations at PYF said: “We want to empower young people to support their local community and combat the challenges we all face regarding the increased cost of living.”
She added that helping young people to “be a part of the solution” is central to the offering. This includes giving young people the opportunity to deliver food parcels to vulnerable individuals who may lack access to food banks.
In recognition of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, young people will be able to pick up food parcels throughout the winter period, including outside of PYF’s opening hours.
In addition to the focus on reducing financial pressures for local families, the tri-weekly sessions, open to young people aged 13-18, will provide access to IT equipment, and a tutor for homework support. Activities designed to promote mental wellbeing are also on the agenda.
The charity will also signpost young people to other support programmes in a bid to have a “lasting and sustainable impact” on those who engage with it, Singh explained.
“One of our main goals is to give young people the tools and awareness to identify these issues as they are unfolding so that they themselves can go on to support vulnerable people,” she added.
The sessions run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Hillfields Young Peoples Centre from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
