Better youth service provision for young people in Doncaster

EXPECT Youth consists of a number of Doncaster-based youth-focused partners working together to help children and young people to live safer, healthier and more aspirational lives with greater opportunities. Some of the services involved include Doncaster Council, Doncaster Children’s Services Trust, Club Doncaster Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce.

EXPECT Youth was formed after a consultation with young people from across Doncaster. They were asked for their views about how youth provision should be changed or adapted to meet their needs. Young people overwhelmingly said that they wanted somewhere to go, that had something to do every day of the week. These places should have food and activities and shouldn’t be schools based.

This feedback has now been used to help provide a wider variety of youth provision across the borough. Some of the sessions on offer now include:

Water sports, such as kayaking or canoeing

Outdoor swimming

Archery and climbing

Drawing masterclasses

Dance

DJ’ing and mixing

Music

Counselling sessions

After school clubs

EXPECT Youth aims to bring together skilled professionals and quality facilities. The provision is also being provided in all areas across the borough to ensure that all young people have access to opportunities to help achieve the best outcomes for their future.

The EXPECT Youth values include being at the heart of the community and promoting equality, diversion and inclusion. They also reflect some of the priorities from the recently launched Children and Young People’s Plan 2017-2020, which has the ultimate ambition of making Doncaster the most child friendly borough in the country.

Councillor Nuala Fennelly, cabinet member for children, young people and schools, said: “It is great to see so many organisations that support and provide provisions for young people, to join together to create EXPECT Youth. We all have a duty to ensure young people have sufficient access to positive activities. In the past this has been provided by the council, but we are aware that there was a lot of good work already taking place in the community. The move to this new way of providing provision will enable us to provide a wider range of activities, delivered by passionate and experienced workers in their own communities.

“It is our ambition to be the most child friendly borough in the country and by working with our partners and the community we know that we can achieve this ambition.”

Peter Norman from EXPECT Youth, said: “EXPECT Youth is an exciting development for Doncaster with the ultimate aim of building safer, healthier and more aspirational lives for children and young people. We really want to broaden the quality and quantity of activities, programmes and opportunities on offer across our community.

“Through our consultations, children and young people have told us that they want to see an inspiring, diverse and motivational offer developed. We know how difficult it can be for them to keep engaged and interested in extra-curricular activities, but this is a great opportunity for children and young people to lead and shape a change of culture from within.

“Our place-based, partnership approach means we can meet those unique needs of the Doncaster borough identified in our consultations to provide the best resources and experiences. We want different areas of the community to work together and ultimately make a positive impact on the aspirations, achievements and life skills of children and young people.”

For further information about EXPECT Youth and an interactive calendar of activities that allows you to search via postcode or age-range visit: www.expectyouth.co.uk