To celebrate National Youth Work Week, Vibe are delighted to announce the launch of the Knowsley Youth Partnership, together with Centre63 and Halewood Youth and Community Centre.
In the last decade, the youth sector has seen cuts of 71% in spending, a reduction of £1billion – 2010-2011 compared to 2018-2019. Added to this, the pandemic has put a huge strain on the mental health of young people, with an increase in social isolation, traumatic experiences, a loss of routine, and a breakdown in formal and informal support, according to a recent survey by Young Minds.
The Knowsley Youth Partnership has been developed to bring together youth-focused organisations in the region to work together to ensure their future, working to a shared Theory of Change.
Paul Oginsky, Chair of Knowsley Youth Partnership and Chief Executive of Vibe: “Working together allows us to be more effective, sharing resources, training, and materials, with each organisation keeping their own unique identities as they continue to provide a wide range of activities for young people across Knowsley. The Theory of Change focuses on what youth organisations do best – helping young people to build healthy relationships with themselves and their communities.
Knowsley Youth Partnership organisations have been working together to support young people and local communities throughout the Covid-19 crisis. Despite being in an area ranked as the second-most deprived authority in England, we have continued to deliver vital support to young people. We have proved the effectiveness of working together throughout the pandemic, ensuring the young people we support don’t fall through the cracks. By working together, we can provide well-rounded support service for young people, sharing knowledge and best practice to make youth services in Knowsley a leading example for the rest of the country.”
Jeane Lowe, Chief Executive Officer Centre63: “Since the pandemic, we have remained open, with most of our services being available via telephone support, via Zoom through online learning and training. Our Social Supermarket has remained open for two days a week on certain days, thanks to the support staff that have ensured it is kept clean and secure. However, like most charitable organisations across the UK, we have seen a drop in monetary donations since the pandemic. The Knowsley Youth Partnership offers strength in numbers so that we can secure the future of youth services across Knowsley for future generations.”
Mark Nelson of Halewood Youth and Community Centre: “Having provided youth services to Knowsley for over 50 years, many of the young people using our service today have been introduced by their parents, who were impacted by the centre as young people themselves. Everything we do at the Centre is geared towards meeting local community needs in Halewood, and we are delighted to bring our experience to the Knowsley Youth Partnership.”
Knowsley Youth Partnership are calling on all organisations who work with young people to join the partnership as delivery partners. Partners will be offered free training as part of their membership on the Theory of Change. Interested organisations can email hello@vibeuk.org for initial information.
Along with key delivery partners in the region, Knowsley Youth Partnership are keen to work in collaboration with non-voting strategic members, such as the Police, the Violence Reduction Partnership, the NHS, and KMBC. Non-delivery organisations around Knowsley are welcome to join the Knowsley Youth Partnership, and benefit from training and workshops.
The next Knowsley Youth Partnership virtual meeting will be taking place on 16 December 2020.
For further information, please call Carly Farley on 07766 558895 Alternatively, you can email her at carly.farley@vibeuk.org