Buckinghamshire Community & Youth Engagement Intergenerational Project
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Date of case study: March 2008
Also of interest...
Local authority in which project is based: Buckinghamshire
Date project started: January 2006
Type of organisation: Statutory Youth & Community Service
Brief description
Buckinghamshire Community and Youth Engagement (BCYE) Intergenerational Project was developed as part of its post-16 citizenship programme. It began in January 2006 as a two year pilot project in the north of the county, using the theme of World War 2 to build positive relationships between young people and older people. It uses a range of activities to enable young people and older people to share experiences and knowledge using the four themes of conflict, consequences, resolution and reconciliation. In addition to group work, field trips and community action projects, the programme included a joint residential to the site of the Normandy invasion and an educational visit to Berlin for the young people. Participants helped produce a DVD resource documenting their experience, for use as a learning and promotional tool to encourage further intergenerational activities.
Collaboration
Older people’s services, eg. The British Legion, helped the youth service make links with older people. Relationships have also been built with partner organisations in Germany.
Other partners include local schools, Thames Valley Partnership, Connexions, and media company Cliff Productions Ltd.
Funding
Funding for the pilot project included £5,000 from the Youth Service Positive Activities for Young People budget, £20,000 from Big Lottery Fund – Home Front, £3,000 from Older People’s Services, and £500 from Wycombe District Council.
Young people also obtained £50,000 from the local Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) for the international residential to Berlin, team building activities, promotion materials and the DVD.
Funding for future projects will be sought from YOF, with additional financial support from local partners. Buckinghamshire Community and Youth Engagement will continue to staff and manage the project.
Staffing
Project was supported on a part-time basis as part of regular workload from one operations manager – strategic lead, three senior practitioners, six full time youth workers plus volunteers and part time staff with specialist skills
NATURE OF PROVISION
Which groups of people does the project work with?
Over the two years 42 young people aged 13 to 19 took part in the project. For the first year participants were recruited from youth clubs in the north of the county, while in the second year the project involved young people across the whole county. There was a core group of 15 young people, including some with physical or learning disabilities and from minority ethnic groups. There was an equal split of male and female participants.
Older people included four British veterans who took part in conflict and others who have memories of the Second World War period.
How was the need for the project identified?
The idea originated from the ‘community cohesion’ targets included in the Resourcing Excellent Youth Services national guidance and in response to comments made at national level that teenagers have little understanding of the Second World War. Locally, reports of conflict between young people and older residents highlighted the need to encourage respect between generations and help resolve disputes.
How do participants become involved? What, if any, commitment do you ask for from young people?
Young people are recruited through local youth clubs/projects. They complete an application form which indicates why they want to be involved, the level of commitment they can offer and what they would like to achieve. This provided a way of coping with demand and getting the young people to think about what they are signing up to. It also helped workers assess their knowledge and experience. Participants met every other month in their area groups and once a term as a whole group for team building activities. Young people who had shown most commitment throughout the project were selected for the international residential, which had limited places available.
Older people are recruited through links with Older People’s services. The British Legion played a particularly active role in identifying war veterans and prisoners of war willing to share their experiences with young people.
What are the main approaches used and activities offered?
Over the two years the project created a programme of activities to enable young and older people to share experiences and knowledge using the four themes of conflict, consequences, resolution and reconciliation.
During the first year, group work activities were used to explore issues around community cohesion. Veterans and other older people shared their own experiences and perspectives on the community with groups of young people. Using the Second World War as a context for learning, the young people began to identify with the older people and understand how their experiences had shaped them and society. Older people also had an opportunity to see the young people in a positive and encouraging environment. Over the summer young and older people worked together on various community projects including gardening, decorating and providing social activities, which provided a platform for more informal discussion on the four themes. They also undertook joint field visits to increase their understanding of the events and how they continue to affect lives today. Sites visited included the Imperial War Museum, London, and a nearby army military barracks. Young people also took part in team building activities and a UK residential to prepare them to visit the site of the Normandy invasion with the veterans.
In year two the project took a broader approach and included post-war reconstruction and reconciliation. Young people worked together in three area teams to consider the themes from an international and local perspective. The programme culminated with 29 young people taking part in a week long visit to Berlin to learn about events and consequences of the Second World War from a German perspective. This included visits to key landmarks associated with the war including the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.
Throughout the project participants documented their experiences on film and helped produce a DVD for use by others as a learning aid. All young people were trained in interview skills in year one. In the second year they were encouraged to take a more active role, and four young people recorded a short documentary of their experiences for the DVD.
How are participants involved in shaping the project/programme?
Young people identified sources of funding and successfully applied to the Youth Opportunity Fund to fund the second year of the project. They planned and delivered a presentation on how they would spend the money and encourage other young people to join the project.
Young people involved in the pilot project will be brought back as young leaders, to further develop the programme and take part in decision making and planning activities.
How does the project respond to the needs of different people, particularly the most marginalised?
The project specifically sought to include young people from a broad range of backgrounds, particularly those who had not previously been involved in group activities and residentials. The project paid for equipment and clothing for some young people so they could take part, and also helped some young people to obtain passports.
OUTCOMES OF WORK
Does the project contribute to the five Every Child Matters outcomes?
Be Healthy – young people take part in physical recreation as part of team building exercises
Stay Safe – young people develop knowledge of conflict and conflict resolution which they can apply to their own experiences
Enjoy and achieve – it offered opportunities for personal and social development, though learning new skills, improving knowledge and gaining accreditation.
Make a positive contribution – developing positive relationships, supporting the local community,
Economic Well Being – working with budgets and funding,
What skills do young people gain through their involvement in the project?
Young people have gained historical knowledge relating to World War II and the impact of nations pulling together. Some of the subject matter stretched young people emotionally and helped them empathise with the older generation. They have increased their social and cultural awareness through exploring different languages, food, customs etc. For some young people the international visits were their first trips away from home, therefore provided valuable life skills. Working together in groups and team building exercises promoted inclusion of marginalised young people and raised individual self esteem.
Activities helped build on and reinforce citizenship knowledge and skills developed at school.
Being involved in filming the DVD gave young people experience of being interviewed and, for some, using video equipment.
What has changed for older people, organisations or the wider community as a result of the project?
Bringing different age groups and diverse communities together to share experiences and learning has helped challenge negative stereotypes and develop community cohesion.
Young people have increased their understanding of the responsibilities of being a citizen. They have shown increased respect for older people, for example through reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour against older people. Similarly, older people have built relationships with young people which have helped reduce previous levels of fear.
How are people's progress and achievements measured and recorded?
Young people who have participated in the full programme gain local accreditation. Most have used their experience for the skills section of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS
How is the project evaluated?
Internal processes include group based evaluation session, workers’ feedback and session recording, and individual feedback sheets.
What are the findings of any evaluations to date?
The young people gained a lot and they have recognised that their participation in the project was worthwhile. They have gained a more positive profile in the community.
What changes/developments have occurred as a result of evaluation?
To cover a broader geographical area and increase the number of young people involved in the project.
What has worked well and why?
- The programme created an interest in citizenship by remaining focusing on young people throughout.
- Using film and photography to capture learning opportunities as they arise which can then later be shared more widely.
- Involving a wide range of partners to allow access to more resources and funding streams, and work in a variety of settings.
What has been difficult and why?
Expanding the project to cover the whole county meant getting workers up to speed and maintaining strong communication links. As a result, some projects were delivered at different times in different areas.
PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC IMPACT
What specific experience and expertise does your organisation bring to partnership work?
Preparing young people so that they can contribute in a positive manner when working with partners. Youth workers acted as advocates for the young people with partner organisations.
Has this partnership resulted in greater collaboration or increased understanding between partners?
The project has developed closer links with partner organisations in Germany as a result of the project. There are hopes that a group of German young people may visit Buckinghamshire.
Positive links have also been made with older people’s services, offering opportunities for further partnerships in the future.
Do you consider this project to be innovative?
The first year of the project was ground breaking in bringing the generations together.
How do you disseminate the learning from the project?
The DVD records experiences during and after the project and is used to publicise the work to stakeholders and other organisations. Local press coverage was also sought.
Linking the work to a wide range of targets and outcomes has allowed the project to promote its work in a variety of contexts.
What plans do you have to sustain/develop this work?
The project is now being rolled out across the whole county, and is embedded in the youth service business plan for the next three years. The Youth Service is seeking to expand its partnership to allow access to more resources and funding streams. It is also considering how other topics, such as the Iraq war or policy issues such as standards of care for older people, may be explored using a similar model,.
CONTACT
Jacqui Tully, Operations Manager, Eastside Youth Centre, Highcrest Community School, Hatters Lane, High Wycombe HP13 7NQ. Tel. 01494 452226. E-mail: jtully@buckscc.gov.uk
Simon Billenness, Senior Practitioner, The Grange Youth Centre, The Grange School, Wendover Way, Aylesbury HP22 5NE. Tel: 01296 422091. E-mail: sbillenness@buckscc.gov.uk
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