Burbage Youth Project is an early intervention organisation helping young people who are in need of help to cope with difficult circumstances. They work alongside schools and community police to help young people through difficult challenges. Some of the children the project works with find traditional education and schooling difficult and are in danger of exclusion. Others have engaged in low level anti-social behaviour causing problems in local areas. Burbage Youth Project has engaged in practical solutions to problems and given the young people goals that they can achieve.
The project helps children to be away from the classroom situation where peer pressure and other adverse forces can have a detrimental effect on them and the other pupils in the classroom. The children involved are under supervision and have time to reflect on their behaviour.
In late 2015 Burbage Youth Project was awarded £1,000 from Red Nose Day Community Cash. The funding was awarded for the redevelopment of a pond area within Hastings High school grounds. The pond site was created to be used by challenging young people at risk of exclusion, anti-social behaviour and crime.
The aim was that the outdoor space would provide the opportunity to nurture ducks and grow fruit and vegetables thus offering users the chance to gain a sense of positive achievement.
Funding awarded covered the hire of a mechanical digger, liner and sand and cement for the excavation and general development and tidying up of the outdoor area.
Since the work has taken place staff at the school have said how much the garden is appreciated by all the pupils who use it. Some pupils use the garden each day, feeding livestock and collecting eggs. The garden enhances the curriculum with regard to biology, science and natural environment. The whole school benefits from having such a great facility available. Rather than this garden being an area used solely by those pupils finding orthodox education difficult, all students are able to access the facility and this creates the opportunity for better integration and understanding among all pupils.
The project has been a great success and even the ducks agree!
If you would like to set up your own fund that works to support charities and groups in the local community, contact Katy Green, Chief Executive at Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation: katy.green@llrcommunityfoundation.org.uk & 0116 2624 916.
