Outreach or detached youth work takes place away from the Youth Hub and in areas where young people might identify as their own ground. Our street-work over the past year has been centred on the Waterside Skate Park, Avenues, Canvey Town Centre and King George’s Field.
Within Outreach there are 3 main age groups that Yellow Door supports:
New Youngers, 10-13
Work with New Youngers is primarily around encouraging healthy lifestyles, positive activities, and providing age-appropriate advice around topical issues. Within our Outreach programme, Yellow Door engages with young people through small sports sessions, arts and crafts, and by following a monthly theme (such as welfare) to encourage conversation.
The Mid-Range Youngers
These are young people that have out-grown the activities. Our established relationship allows Yellow Door to continue to engage with them. They remain friendly and very supportive of our work, even encouraging New Youngers to join in activities.
The Elders
These are the late teens to early twenties. We continue to engage with this group, now with several years of contact, supporting them with a wider remit of advice and information. This may include relationship advice as well as practical advice around lifestyle choices, careers, finances, the law, and more.
The major success of Outreach has been establishing a consistent point of reference and support for young people through their youth and into early adulthood.
As part of our Outreach programme, we also organise a yearly SKATEJAM for all the local youth, with additional attendance from as far away as France and South Africa. The standard of local skaters never fails to impress the professionals that attend. The cost of staging the event is easily paid back in the feel-good factor of local youth being able to mix with world-class skaters, the local pride in professionals coming to them, and the feeling of local ownership of the event.
Yellow Door must take this opportunity to praise our volunteers and team in making all this work possible.
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