Author: Helen

Below is a message from Llamau about their Learning Training and Employment offer;

In the pdf linked here Llamau – Learning Training and Employment (Final) you can find the Learning Training and Employment brochure which explains our ‘Step into’ programmes. We are recruiting externally on our Step into Education, Step into wellbeing and Step into Employment programme.

We aim to provide young people with a provision that meets their needs in a nurturing way but aims to prepare them for their next step in order that they sustain. We see ourselves as a bridge between pre and post 16 as we know many YP’s are not ready to progress directly into post 16 at the end of year 11.

We can be accessed at any time for any age up to 24years but JGW+ is up to 19^th Birthday. Our centre are located in the following areas; Swansea, Bridgend, Cardiff, Vale, Caerphilly, Pontypridd.

• Our fully qualified teaching staff have access to flexible attendance patterns to enable learners to work at their pace.
• Our Step into Wellbeing provision aims to overcome barriers prior to formal education in the afternoons. This is up to 12 hours a week.
• Our Step into Education provision aims to provide up to 30 hours of education provision a week.
• Our Step into Employment provision aims to provide a future employability programme that prepares learners for the world of work. We envisage no learners directly accessing this but moving into this from either Step into Wellbeing or Step into Education. This can be between 3 and 30 hours a week depending on learning levels.
• As well as payments where applicable for learners, we reimburse travel and also provide every learner with a hot meal
• Our Progression Coaches are available to support with meeting young people in the community prior to starting the programme.
• We are an LGBTQ+ friendly organisation with expertise in ensuring support for groups within this. We can offer a range of additional involvement support for groups to ensure they can socially engage with peers also in addition to our main contracts of work.

To get in touch with the team please email L4Ladmin@llamau.org.uk

More information can be found on our website; What We Do: Education, Employment and Training | Llamau

Annwyl pawb,

Hopefully you have all seen the announcement from the Minister for Education and Welsh language which set out who will sit alongside me on the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board. I am really looking forward to working with such a passionate and dynamic group. The Board have already met twice, and I would like to update you on our priorities and invite you to be part of the next phase of this work.

The proposals made by the Interim Youth Work Board are wide-ranging and ambitious. The focus now is on translating these proposals into action to deliver a sustainable youth work model that enriches the lives of all young people in Wales.
We as a Board want to engage with you and shape these ambitions together. Alongside ensuring the voice of young people continues to guide our work, we are committed to continue to work in a participatory way with stakeholders from across the sector.

Building on the momentum created by the Strategy Participation Groups (SPG’s) that were in place between 2019 and 2022, five new Implementation Participation Groups (IPG’s) will be established. Each IPG will be chaired by a member of the Board and will have a focus on specific proposals made by the Interim Board.

Here you can find details of the groups and their focus; Sharon Lovell letter to the youth work sector Nov 2022- PDF

You will notice that there are some similarities between the focus of the previous SPG’s and the new IPG’s – this reflects the need to continue with elements of this work. The Board were also clear about the need to be agile in our approach and therefore further groups may be established at a later date, and the groups above may come to an end as this work progresses.

It is now time to refresh the membership of these groups and provide an opportunity for everyone across the sector to participate in this important aspect of the work. As well as encouraging anyone who was a member of a former SPG to consider joining these new groups, I hope that we are also able to attract new faces to join these groups.

I will chair a short meeting via Teams from 1pm-2pm on 12 December to explain more about these groups and answer some of your questions. Other members of the Board will also be in attendance. All members of the SPGs should have already received a meeting invite for this session. Others are also welcome to join us to hear
more about this next phase. If you would like to join this session and don’t have the meeting details, please email youthworkboard@gov.wales.

If you wish to express an interest in joining one of the IPG’s, please complete this form; Expression of interest in joining IPG group – bilingual and return to youthworkboard@gov.wales by 16 December.

All expressions of interest in the groups will be considered by the lead Board member to ensure balance and appropriate levels of knowledge and skills. If you have any questions before you submit your expression of interest, please get in touch.
We expect all IPG members to be actively engaged with the work, and to regularly attend meetings. We appreciate that there may be some who are not able to commit to regular meetings, and in those cases there may be times when you can offer expertise or advice on specific topics if needed. All IPG members will also be expected to share information about the work of their group, where appropriate, with others across the sector and beyond to help to raise awareness and a shared understanding of current progress.

I hope many of you will want to work with us during this next phase. I think we have a lot of work ahead of us, sometimes it will be challenging, but hopefully rewarding as we aim to put things in place to best support all young people across Wales. I think we are in for some very exciting times going forward and I look forward to working with you on this progressive journey to sustain youth work in Wales.

Best wishes
Sharon Lovell
Chair – Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board

The deadline to submit content for the Youth Work Bulletin sent out by Welsh Government is the 30^th of November.

The theme for the upcoming issue is Equality and Diversity, so they are looking to feature any stories, projects or news items related to the topic.

For the Young Person’s Voice section of the Bulletin, they would like to identify a young person who exemplifies what it is to be an ‘Equality and Diversity Champion’.
If any of you have any ideas for content for this next edition they would be very welcomed by ellie@cwvys.org.uk
Please feel free to share with your networks across the youth sectors in Wales.

“THE DEMAND HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING AND HUMBLING”

Valleys Kids has just launched their Impact Report, covering an exceptional two years in their history.
The report recognises the hard work of their paid and voluntary staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, and showcases how they helped their communities during these extraordinary times.

 

The document distinguishes the need of the community and the response from Valleys Kids, highlighting the essentiality of place-based community development as evidenced by their work delivered through their Community and Family Hubs.
You can find the report via this link https://heyzine.com/flip-book/c6f68d1f63.html
For more information about Valleys Kids go to www.valleyskids.org

It is Trustees Week! Every year between the 7th and 11th of November Trustees Week takes place. It is a time for organisations to reflect on the importance of their Trustees, celebrate their dedication and thank them for all their hard work and support.

The theme for this year’s week is “making a difference in changing times”.

For those of us in the Voluntary Youth Sector we’ve experienced a lot of change over the past couple of years. One thing that remains constant is the vital part that Trustees play in keeping the sector going, and this Trustees Week CWVYS would like to say a huge thank you to our brilliant Trustees, and to all the Trustees working hard across the sector.

Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi gyd!

Tuesday 29 November 2022 12:00 – 1:30pm The Pierhead, Senedd Cymru, Ffordd y Môr, Cardiff Bay CF10 4PZ YHA has developed a refreshed strategy for Wales to make sure they can better support people and communities in Wales. Join on the day to learn more about the YHA’s priorities in Wales and their commitment to the people and communities of Wales. These priorities have been developed in response to consultation and conversations held earlier this year. There will be a lunch and the opportunity to network, to explore collaborative opportunities to better support young people and families to access adventure. The event is sponsored by Huw Irranca Davies MS RSVP to walesstrategy@yha.org.uk by 12 November 2022.

Over the next couple of weeks there will be more Webinars on Taith Pathway 2, run by the Taith team.

This round of events will take the form of a Q&A session with the team: https://www.taith.wales/event/pathway-2-qa/

 

4 pm on Thursday the 10^th of November (Welsh)

4 pm on Friday the 11^th of November (English)

12 pm Tuesday the 15^th of November (English)

For Webinars in English please note, they will be presented in English but you are encouraged and able to submit questions and comments, aloud or via the chat, in Welsh.

Webinars will likely last no longer than 1 hour.

If you would like to submit questions and queries to the hosts beforehand, you can do so via: enquiries@taith.wales

The team are so supportive and I do encourage you to contact them (or us if you’re not sure) as they will honestly do what they can to assist you.

You can find more information on Pathway 2 on the Taith website: https://www.taith.wales/pathway_2/youth/overview/

Today, the Taith team announced the outcomes of the first round of Pathway 1 programme funding, which opened in March 2022 and closed to applications in May 2022.

By now all successful applicants have been notified and some have even began their projects.

We were thrilled to see so many successful applicants from the Youth sector and hope that as the programme continues, the success grows. These international learning experiences for young people in Wales are so important and we hope they will enrich youth workers and young people alike.

You can find a press release here and for more information it is worth following them on social media:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/taithwales

https://twitter.com/TaithWales

https://www.facebook.com/Taith-101485822453103

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7P1JDk8WMOnBOok3qeFxFg

 

A final reminder that tomorrow and Friday you can join the Taith team in their webinars on Pathway 2:

4 pm Thursday the 27^th of October (in Welsh)

12pm Friday the 28^th of October (in English)

https://www.taith.wales/event/pathway-2-calculation-tool-and-application-form/

If you would like to submit questions and queries to the hosts beforehand, you can do so via: enquiries@taith.wales

Following a public appointment process, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language has announced this week the membership of the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board.

The Minister’s statement can found here.

The Welsh Government’s Youth Engagement Branch noted that “collectively, the Board members bring a wealth of experience and expertise which will be invaluable as we move at pace to build a sustainable model for youth work in Wales.”

If you have any queries please contact youthworkboard@gov.wales.

The Welsh Government has published its annual statistical data on Youth Work in Wales in the local authority context

The latest in the series of annual statistical releases on Youth work in Wales in (local authorities only) was published this week.

These statistics cover the 2021-22 financial year and you can access these statistics here:

Youth work: April 2021 to March 2022 | GOV.WALES

 

 

 

Next week there will be Webinars on Taith Pathway 2, in particular an introduction to the Calculation Tool and the Application Form.

 

4pm on Tuesday the 25^th of October (in English)

4 pm Thursday the 27^th of October (in Welsh)

12pm Friday the 28^th of October (in English)

 

For Webinars in English please note, they will be presented in English but you are encouraged and able to submit questions and comments, aloud or via the chat, in Welsh.

Webinars will likely last no longer than 1 hour.

If you would like to submit questions and queries to the hosts beforehand, you can do so via: enquiries@taith.wales

The team are so supportive and I do encourage you to contact them (or us if you’re not sure) as they will honestly do what they can to assist you.

You can find more information on these events and Pathway 2 on the Taith website: https://www.taith.wales/pathway_2/youth/events/

Today, the newly-revised ‘Youth Work in Wales: Principles and Purposes’ booklet was published.

This document has been produced for the managers and trustees of youth work organisations, politicians, local authority elected members and officers, practitioners, trainers and people training to be youth workers and youth support workers.

It has also been written for young people, those already involved in youth work organisations as well as those wishing to find out more about the kinds of experience youth work organisations can provide.

‘Youth Work in Wales: Principles and Purposes’ has been produced on a collaborative basis by representatives of the youth work sector in Wales and with the Education Workforce Council.

For anyone who is set to receive a hard copy in the post, please consider sharing a snap on social media and tagging us, a suggested post is:

“Delighted to have received a fresh new copy of the revised #YouthWorkInWalesPrinciplesAndPurposes”

You are very welcome to share the link to the English version of the document as well: https://www.cwvys.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/YOUTH-WORK-IN-WALES-2022-ENGLISH.pdf

Don’t forget the (long!) hashtag #YouthWorkInWalesPrinciplesAndPurposes

You can find a bilingual copy of the booklet here; YOUTH WORK IN WALES PRINCIPLE AND PURPOSES – GWAITH IEUENCTID YNG NGHYMRU EGWYDDORION A DIBENION 2022