June/July - The Greets Green Partnership Legacy Website

The Youth Forum’s sessional workers have been askingpeople young and old in the community if they want tosee the bus in their area so that it can head out andabout to the places it’s most needed.And this isn’t any ordinary bus. It’s been completelydesigned by young people and the downstairs has lots ofgames and activities while the upper deck has facilitiesfor workshops and advice sessions. The team will workwith local groups such as the teenage pregnancy unit andthe drugs team to bring as much information as possibleto young people.says Nabeel. “I was doing all this while working as atruck driver and it was hard fitting it all in.“Once I had a taste of youth work, it just snowballed. Iwanted to do more but I needed the time to do it – and Istill had to earn a living. Now I’ve got the job as a youthworker / driver it’s perfect. I’m combining my job withsomething I love.”While the bus is out and about, there will always be asessional worker, a volunteer and a member of the YouthForum helping out, along with Nabeel.Roll up, roll up! The Youth Buzz is revvingup to hit the streets and the team wants toknow where you’d like it to stop.Plus, there’s a kitchen on board while the seats upstairsfold down into beds for residentials!To get a bus like this on the road, you need a driver andNabeel Saleh Audhali is the perfect man for the job. He’sbeen involved in the Youth Forum for the past year,having been on the volunteer programme beforecompleting the Introduction to Youth Work course withthe sessional workers.“A friend introduced me to the Youth Forum and I soonjoined the volunteer programme for six months, helpingto get the new Forum together and operating as a team,”“I was brought up in Greets Green and went to LodgePrimary and George Salter High School so I know allabout local issues,” Nabeel adds. “I can’t wait to get thebus on the road as it’s so exciting. I’m really raring to go.“My ambition is to take the bus to as many places andpeople as possible. Watch out, here we come!”If you want the Youth Buzz tocome to your area, ask yourYouth Forum area rep or contactthe Youth Forum on 525 9509 orPaul Arrowsmith on 07976 943638.PUPILS BUILD BRIDGESPrimary school children throughout Greets Greenhave been ‘Bridging the Basin’ with SandwellEducation Business Partnership’s WorkWise project.‘Architecture Workshops’ was commissioned by WorkWiseto run a half day activity at Newtown, Guns V illage, RydersGreen, Lyng and Lodge primary schools to construct alarge scale bridge type structure.In total, more than 200 children from Years 5 and 6 tookpart in the activities, workingindividually and in groups tosolve the bridging problem!using skills such as problemStop Press solving, teamwork andmathematics.PicturedWe’ll be running anactive summerprogramme withloads of great thingsto do. Look out formore details!iTo“If I didn’t listen I wouldn’t have been able tobuild a bridge,” said one pupil. “It was a lot ofteam work and it was problem solving as well.”contact WorkWise, call Fiona Stone on569 2347.are children from Guns Village PrimarySchool with their finished product.The Greets Green YouthForum is funded byGreets Green PartnershipYoung Greets Green Magazine June/July 2005 23