Sports Management Issue 1 2012 - Leisure Opportunities

The 60x14m climbing wall consists
of four areas suitable for beginners
to advanced climbers
X-Games winner Rune Glifberg
from Denmark, in action within
the skatepark’s concrete bowl
MOHAMED FAWZI DISTRICT MANAGER, YOUTH CONNEXIONS
What is Youth
Connexions
It’s part of Hertfordshire
Services for Young People
and provides youth
work/positive activities,
information, advice,
guidance and support to
young people aged between 13 to 19 years
(up to 25 for young people with learning
difficulty or a disability). It also offers volunteering,
training and job opportunities.
Why did you set up the
one-stop-shop concept at XC
It’s important to stress that young people
are the centre of everything we do in the
service, from planning and delivery to
evaluation of services.
The one-stop-shop concept at XC was
a result of our consultations with young
people who wanted all services “under
one roof”, as previously they had been
passed from pillar to post – to and from
different providers.
Further consultations highlighted the
need for a teen health clinic, counselling
provision and an extreme sport facility.
This dream became a reality through
partnership working with Dacorum
Sports Trust, Dacorum Children’s Trust
Partnership and Dacorum Borough Council
and lottery funding from myplace. This
ensured that information, advice, guidance,
training, volunteering, youth work,
positive activities, counselling, a teen
health clinic, music and media services
and extreme sports are under one roof.
How were young people
involved in the project
Young people were an integral part of
the project. They helped to: choose the
venue; work on the design with the architects;
interview and commission the
Youngsters can get employment
advice and a volunteering
opportunity in the same building
sub contractors; and were part of the
monthly, on-site progress meetings.
They also form part of the Youth
Management Shadow Board.
What can be learnt from this project
The myplace Big Lottery fund recommended
our consultation process with
young people as a model of good practice.
This was due to the fact that 14,000
children and young people were consulted
through open days, stakeholders
events, questionnaires, focus groups and
school presentations.
The creative approach of this facility
enables young people to prepare their
CV, meet a personal advisor and/or an
employment training advisor regarding
a job or a volunteering opportunity, visit
a counsellor, take part in a job club, produce
a CD in the music studio, participate
in an anger management programme or
a workshop on knife and gun crime and
then head downstairs to enjoy a skateboarding,
climbing or caving activity.
How are you expanding you reach
Young people visit the XC from all parts of
Hertfordshire and as far afield as Scotland.
Promotion and marketing is done through
tweeting, Facebook, Channelmogo (Youth
Connexions’ website), open day events,
taster days and school newsletters.
We also raise its profile through our
partners, which include the police, the
primary care trust, the voluntary sector
and local faith and community groups.
Issue 1 2012 © cybertrek 2012 Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 31