Dear All,

I am so pleased to be finally able to email you with further details about the youth provision we are putting into place in Palmers Green.

On Friday 21st of June, we have held a meeting between Enfield Council, the church and 2 others, who are working on setting up this project. The idea was to further scope out a vision that will be sent to Enfield Council as a proposal.

We aim to create a community-led provision for youths to go to after school (involving local organisations, Enfield Council, local businesses, local GPs as well as kind people like you who are thinking about volunteering.

We want empower young people to learn important skills, to be involved in the planning of the provision and we are hoping to create a sense of belonging. We are also hoping to put activities in place which will help boost their confidence and self-esteem.

At present, we are looking to start our youth club for 14 to 18 year olds next academic year (possibly at the end of September, but that will depend on various factors).

We acknowledge that we would like to put a provision in place for 11 to 14 year olds as well, however, this is another entity, which will be explored at a later stage as we feel there is too much of an age gap to mix 11-18 year olds. We feel there will need to be two groups and out of the two age groups the 14-18 year olds have been prioritized, as there is a greater need, with the 11-14 year olds to be explored at a later stage when we are more established.

To start with, we would like to offer a safe place for youths to come to on a Friday during term time from 3.30pm until 5.30pm (finishing time TBC). There will be a youth club in the main hall, where young people can meet as well as a ‘key skills project’ that will take place in the small hall, where on a 6-week basis, youths will be offered different programmes. We are hoping to offer things such as barbering, jewellery making, nail courses, cooking, film projects, woodwork, etc. These projects will run on a termly basis and are planned in advance over the year. During school holidays there will be separate projects such as the Summer Uni in the summer holidays (www.enfield.gov.uk/youth).

Other, separate plans include:

– mentoring for 18-24 year olds (in cooperation with Enfield Behaviour Service)

– provision of a family support group (for families who have been affected by violence and crime and who struggle to engage positively with their children)

– ESOL teaching: English courses for both youths and adults to break down language barriers and enable inclusion into community life and access to vital services

We are now looking for people who can be part of this and who are committed to supporting this project. We are looking for people to help out on a rota-based system on Friday afternoons. Volunteers to help with the actual club as well as volunteers who would be willing to offer their services and time to run a free 6-week programme for 14-18 year olds which is fun and boosts their self-esteem (examples see above).

If you feel that this is something you can offer or take part in, please return the form attached to us. There will be training provided, which will be vital in working with this age group in ensuring the safety of those that come.

Additionally, if you know of anyone who would like to support this community-led initiative, please feel free to forward this email and email us your thoughts or put us in touch. That would be greatly appreciated!

In order to comply with safeguarding regulations and ensure the safety of all youths involved, we will have to DBS check anyone who comes forward.

With many thanks and best wishes,

Jenny Godfrey