BIG INTERVIEW: Teamwork to tackle isolation - Helen Trudgeon,project manager, YP2-Clay, Cornwall
HUGH PERRY
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
These problems, highlighted in a Countryside Agency report last month, are tackled on a daily basis by Helen Trudgeon in her role as project manager of Cornish youth initiative YP2-Clay.
"They are happy with their lot," she says of the young people she works with. "They are positive and cheerful. But they have problems with finances and the lack of jobs. Some have parents who have two jobs, and this creates problems."
The Clay area, halfway along the south coast of Cornwall, consists of small communities that were once home to thriving fishing and mining industries.
But those industries are in decline and the employment market is drying up. YP2-Clay was set up through the Prince of Wales' Rural Revival Initiative.
It is in its second year of dealing with social exclusion by giving young people the chance to demonstrate responsibility.
The project operates through a system of leisure vouchers for activities chosen and planned by the young people. Vouchers worth 20 are distributed through local schools but can be redeemed for more when participants club together for an activity.
It's not merely a case of giving the young people an alternative to kicking their heels. Involving the young people in planning their activities is key to the project. This builds teamwork and fosters self-worth. It can also teach them valuable planning skills - a group that organised a trip to Alton Towers in Staffordshire found the transport costs swallowed up most of their budget.
"One of the biggest lessons we have learned is the need to consult the young people," says Trudgeon. So a youth management group works alongside an adult support group and project staff. It is made up of people aged 14 to 21, who help steer the project.
Last month, the Countryside Agency picked out YP2-Clay as an exemplary project in combating rural social exclusion. The agency published Indicators of Poverty & Social Exclusion in Rural England 2002, compiled by the New Policy Institute. The report outlined dramatic evidence for the extent of rural social exclusion. The suicide rate between 1998 and 2000 was higher among 16 to 24-year-olds in remote rural areas, and unemployment for 18 to 24-year-olds in rural areas is more than double that for older workers.
Countryside Agency chairman Ewen Cameron says that he is particularly concerned about the impact of rural social exclusion on young people.
"Those living in remoter areas are hardest hit. Problems are often more acute but more difficult to pinpoint," says Cameron.
The Countryside Agency funds Trudgeon's post, while Cornwall Rural Community Council manages the budgets.
Trudgeon is Cornish born and bred so she is well-placed to relate to the issues important to local young people. Her background in local voluntary work, with the Scouts, Guides and Air Cadets, has also helped her build professional partnerships in the area.
In fact, with funding coming from a variety of sources and wide community involvement, partnership is the buzzword throughout YP2-Clay's work."The important things are forming partnerships and listening to young people," adds Trudgeon. "I've always volunteered in the community and that's given me strong local knowledge and helped me build partnerships. You must be honest with them."
FYI
- YP2-Clay was launched in 2001, for 14-year-olds. This year it is being extended to 15-year-olds
- Budget for this year is 56,000. The main backers are the Countryside Agency, Western Power Distribution, The Prince's Trust and the John Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust
- There were 139 participants in the scheme between May and September 2002
- Indicators of Poverty & Social Exclusion in Rural England 2002 (CAX 117) costs 2 from Countryside Agency Publications, PO Box 125, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7EP. Call 0870 120 6466 for details.