The National Youth Agency - Youth Work Week 2006

Youth Work Week 2006

To follow is a listing of events that took place celebrating the "Hold Your Head Up" campaign for Youth Work Week in 2006.

Also of interest...

Download "Hold Your Head Up", the information pack for Youth Work Week, 1 -7 November 2006. The pack has been prepared by The National Youth Agency with support from other agencies supporting the week including Young Minds, Youth Access and the British Medical Association.

Youth Work Week 2006 [Please note, this is a large file so may take a few moments to download.]

The pack includes top tips on staying mentally healthy, some key statistics on young people's mental health, briefings on subjects including self harm and suicide prevention, listings of specialist organisations that can help and a copy of the Young Minds manifesto for young people and mental health. In addition, writer and trainer Vanessa Rogers has produced a set of 15 simple activities that can be used to raise mental health issues with young people.

The materials are free of copyright and you are welcome to forward or copy them to colleagues as you wish.

Youth Work Week Events 2006

Barking and Dagenham
East London Community Arts group Studio 3 Arts marked Youth Work Week with the staging of 'Last Stop', the latest show by its youth project Big Deal. Written, designed and performed by young people from Barking and Dagenham, 'Last Stop' is the story of what happens when things are allowed to go too far.With a fast-paced script, lively dance, original film projection and a contemporary soundtrack, 'Last Stop' explores knife crime, teenage pregnancy, substance misuse and domestic violence.

In partnership with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Drug and Alcohol Action Team, Youth Offending Service and other partners, the evening performance on 6 November was extended into a Substance Misuse Awareness Event where young people could participate in workshops, activities and access information stalls. The evening also saw the launch of the new Young People's Substance Misuse Treatment service in partnership with the borough's CAMHS. For more information on Studio 3 Arts, visit http://www.studio3arts.org.uk/

Bath and North East Somerset
Radstock Youth Centre held a well being day for all young people in the area. Health professionals were on hand to offer information and advice and there were workshops around self image and self esteem and alternative health practitioners for young people to access including reflexology, reiki and yoga.

Bolton
Bolton youth service held workshops borough-wide for young people throughout Youth Work Week.Topics up for discussion included how to stay mentally healthy, deal with exam stress and relationship problems. Each youth club held a poster competition with prizes for the most inventive and effective message promoting emotional health.

Bolton Council's Executive Member for Children's Services, Councillor Linda Thomas, said the message it hoped to get out was a positive one."Although [these] statistics paint a worrying picture, if our youth centres can help young people cope with everyday life, then we're hoping it won't get to the stage of self harm or suicide.

"This week is all about raising awareness and the workshops are a great way to get things out in the open and deal with mental health in a positive way."

Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire Youth and Community have produced a newsletter for Youth Work Week documenting the ways in which youth workers anad teachers can support young people to feel good about themselves. The newsletter called "What's on your mind?" is arriving with schools in first week of November.

Cornwall
Young people from Zeb's Young People's Project in Truro, Cornwall spent two weeks discussing this years theme with staff and have come up with a week of events and activities connected to emotional well being and mental health. They have also recorded a song for Youth Work Week - "Head Up High" is written and performed by the band The Red Army, renamed as The Red Army Community Mental Health Team especially for this project. You can listen to Head Up High at the MySpace site www.myspace.com/zebsmusic

Zeb's aso planned drop-in sessions over the week including :

Wednesday: Amazing feel good food night alongside a workshop on substance misuse and mental health.

Thursday: Funathon at a local trail - time to get out and get the endorphins going! Followed by home cooked soup and bread.

Friday: Music session and round robin

Monday Music session and round robin

Tuesday: Chill out session with meditation and djembies drumming and an open workshop exploring self image and self esteem with homemade fruit smoothies.

East Sussex
The Youth Development Service held a Girl's Night Extravaganza entitled "Looking after our mental health" for young women aged 11 to 25. The event takes place on 1 November at Mecread Youth Centre in Seaford on 1 November.

Gateshead
Gateshead PCT provided training to local Connexions staff on Thursday 2 November on mental health awareness issues. This included how to identify basic symptoms and making referrals to both local and national support networks.

Other Gateshead Connexions for the week included stress balls being issued to visitors, a themed article signposting on-line support for young people on the website and display boards and take-away information from Childline and Young Minds will be available. Also a competition to win a Gold Leisure Pass for local sport amenities ran over the week. Names were drawn from visitors to the Connexions Centre and entry forms explained the connection between exercise and good mental health.

Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire warmed up for the week with a celebration event marking the 10^th anniversary of its youth exchange link with Poland on 28 October and an arts showcase at Bacon Theatre Cheltenham on 29 October.

A grand launch for the week took place at Shire Hall and other evcetns included a mental health workshop for Bangladeshi Youth Organisation at the Buckstone Centre, and the launch of the Indigo Health Project Launch at Bourton Youth Centre. On Tuesday 31 October the Youth Work Works Conference took place at Cheltenham Racecourse, and a Feel Good Factor event at Splinters Youth Centre on 1 November.

Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire CAMHS has created a website to support to support it's local Feelin' Good day on 10 October. The day and site focus attention on mental health and emotional wellbeing and also prove a useful resource for those looking to contribute to Youth Work Week. The site includes a range of downloadable resources for professionals, facts and figures about mental health and links to national and local organisations. The day is a prelude to Feelin' Good week in February 2007. See http://www.fgwherts.nhs.uk/

Knowsley
The Flashing Futures project for Youth Work Week saw youth groups across the borough use photography as a tool to create images and statements that express how they felt about mental health and emotional well-being. Images from the project are being dispalyed on three billboards throughtout Knowsley until 4 December. A booklet featuring selected images has been produced and a clebration evening was held on 6 November at Kirkby Civic Suite.

Lancashire
Ribble Vally district kicked off the week locally with a celebration evening from 7pm to 9pm on 1 November with displays, performances and presentations involving more than 100 young people at Ribblesdale High School in Clitheroe.

Central London
Centrepoint held a Celebration of Achievement for young people titled "Funk it Up" on 30 October. Funk it Up included award giving, a fashion show, a talent show, a performance by Cardboard Citizens, and a wide range of African/Caribbean food was available to mark Black History Month. For further information about Centrepoint visit http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/

Luton
Luton Borough Youth Service held an event on Thursday 2 November at Dallow Learning Community Centre, Dallow Road, Luton 6pm - 8pm with activities including yoga, food carving, mehndi, healthy eating and drugs awareness. More details contact Sarah on 01582 548165

Milton Keynes
The youth service created a display featuring current work and information on local and national support agencies around the issue of positive mental health. It ran in the Central Library from 1 - 17 November. A leaflet featuring support agencies was also being produced.

Neath Port Talbot
The youth service focused on raising awareness of the importance of mental health and emotional well being of young people between the ages of 11 and 25. To do this, youth workers gave out information and activity packs with advice on staying mentally healthy, information on issues like self harm and suicide preventions as well as lists of specialist organisations which young people can turn to for help.

The week wasa also seen as an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the contribution of youth work to the development of young people and to highlight the positive roles played by young people in their communities. Fun activities were organised in youth centres and in the streets across Neath Port Talbot. Cabinet member for Schools, Lifelong Learning and the Youth Service, John Rogers, said, "Youth work week is not only engaging with young people on issues that affect them, but an opportunity to take stock of the excellent work they do and of their achievements."

Edo and Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Inspired by the information pack for Youth Work Week in the UK, youth development NGO Smile Africa International dedicated its annual Teens and Twenties camp to mental health issues. Some 200 young people from schools and youth organisations attended at two locations from 14 to19 November 2006. 'We discovered that most of the youths in Nigeria have little or no help when it come to mental health information, prevention, control and advice,' wrote coordinator Purpose osa Iserhienrhien. 'This camp will be used to bridge the gap and educate the participants as well as being fun, informative, educative and beneficial.' For more information email smilesafrica@yahoo.com

Northamptonshire
The Opal Project held its first open meeting on November 1 2006. The project aims to help young people between the ages of 11 and 19 who self-harm, helping them to cope with self-harm and to help them develop alternative coping strategies. The meeting was open to all Youth Workers, Connexions workers, funding organisations, sponsors, teachers, advisors, and anyone who comes into contact with young people in their work. http://www.theopalproject.co.uk/

Oxfordshire
Wheatley Youth Club became a place for information and discussion groups about mental health and emotional well-being for Youth Work Week 2006. The young people contributed their thoughts, ideas and suggestions about their image within their community (which has been affected by anti social behaviour and dispersal orders) by participating in a questionnaire survey and youth work assessment leading to action planning. Taking a positive approach, young people identified some constructive ways to raise the profile of their youth group and build self esteem and confidence within their community based on project work. The Wheatley youth group followed up their discussion with group work activities focusing on Respect and learning to value each others views and opinions. Together they have decided to be more enthusiastic and motivated about their future well-being by forming a youth committee that addresses positive action in their community.

Sandwell
Sandwell Young People's Service's Teenage Prennacy Team held and interactive thetre event foon 4 November. The aim of the day was to help young peoeple be more assertive and confident to say no to bullying and no to being pressurised into sex until the time is right for them. 'Violins at Dawn' involved the audience of young people challenging the way health professionals treat them. During the day young women watched "Baby think it over, a DVD produced over the summer highlighting some of their work. The project involved workshops and discussions leading to improving self esteem and taking time to think about their futures. The young women discuss delaying sexual activity and protection from sexually transmitted infection. The DVD will be used in delivering sex and relationship educationtriainign to youth workers.

Southampton
More than 30 Youth Work Week events were scheduled in youth service projects around the city. These range from a Coping stress and anger management night at Woodlands Youth Club to a "Brain Food" evening and Getting High activity night at Swaythling Youth Club .

Click here for full details: http://www.youthnetsouthampton.org.uk/youthservice/youthworkweek2006.php

St Helen's College
Students and staff on the Foundation Degree in Youth And Community Work at St Helens College took part in a series of events to mark Youth Work Week.

Students staffed a "Wall Of Feelings" entitled Another Brick in The Wall in the Forum area of the college on 1 and 2 November where students were encouraged to add paper "bricks" to a wall - red for negative, green for positive about when they feel emotional well/unwell. There was also a Helping Hands Board where students added who they would tell good things to and who they would inform negative things to (adapted from the Hold your Head up pack).They were also given useful helping agency numbers.

Local radio station Solar FM also became involved on the 1 Nov playing student requests and looking at song titles such as Going out of my head, Crazy etc. Staff and students were interviewed live on local radio explaining about national youth work week and Hold your Head Up.

On the 2 November a short drama production was staged in the college lecture theatre, by young people from the Citadel Millennium Theatre group (which some of the students have worked with on placements). Called "Hold your Head Up", they put on sketches around bullying, self harm and suicide with media students working lights and sound effects. Youth work students had put together details telephone helplines which were given to students when leaving the theatre. In total over 550 students participated in the event. The local press took photos and the students will now compile a report on the event with details of young peoples feelings.

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