Author: Helen

At the end of the summer the Education Workforce Council (EWC) published the Annual Education Workforce Statistics for Wales.

The independent, professional regulator’s Annual Education Workforce Statistics for Wales 2024 is the most comprehensive source of intelligence on those who work in schools, further education, youth work, and work-based learning in Wales. The data is sourced from the EWC’s Register of Education Practitioners.

As you may know, for a few years now, qualified youth workers and youth work support staff have been required to register with the EWC, but for the first time this year’s report contains information on teachers and learning support staff who work in independent schools and colleges. Following a new government requirement in May 2023 making it essential that their staff register with the EWC, and thus their conduct and practice regulated.

Effective recruitment to the education professions, and the subsequent retention of these practitioners, remains a priority not only in Wales, but across the world. Workforce numbers in Wales have remained fairly static compared to 2023, however there has been a small decline in school learning support workers.

The full Annual Education Workforce Statistics for Wales 2024 is available to read via the EWC website.

There are some great events coming up this autumn with CWVYS members.

Next week Urdd Gobaith Cymru are celebrating 10 years of their apprenticeships programme. With 2 breakfast events in the north and south! The first breakfast event takes place on the 24th of September in Llandudno, and the second is in Swansea on the 27th of September, if you intend to attend, please confirm via this link TODAY (16th of September).

On Wednesday the 25th of September the Centre for African Entrepreneurship have their Climate Justice event in Swansea, you can book your place here; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/climate-justice-forum-tickets-1013157319817

On the 22nd of October Welsh Women’s Aid have an event on Working Collaboratively to Safeguard Children and Young People. You can book to attend their free event here; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-collaboratively-to-safeguard-children-young-people-tickets-978161506397?aff=oddtdtcreator

On the 14th of November NYAS Cymru have an event in the Senedd on the Impact of Parent Advocacy. Find out more and book to attend here; https://www.eventbrite.com/e/impact-of-parent-advocacy-tickets-957295194697?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

If any other CWVYS Members have anything similar you would like circulated or included in our next newsletter, please send the details to Helen@CWVYS.org.uk by midday on Monday the 23rd of September

You can find details of these events on the Youth Sector Calendar hosted on our website; https://cwvys.org.uk/events/

The calendar is for the whole sector, so members and non-members in the sector alike can add their events to it by sending details to Helen@cwvys.org.uk

 

 

Estyn published their Youth engagement and progression lead worker review in July, the report includes 5 joint recommendations for Welsh Government, Careers Wales, local authorities, and all other partners involved in supporting young people through lead workers.

The Welsh Government response to the review has now been published. The Welsh Government will work with partners on taking forwards the recommendations.

Dear CWVYS Members,

At our Regional meeting on the 25th of July,  Donna Robins – Welsh Government, presented a paper on the establishment of a National Body for youth work.

As noted in this paper by Welsh Government, the discussions are in their early stages and there will be a full consultation will follow.

At the meeting, Members were invited to share their thoughts to Welsh Government via CWVYS.

Please send your comments to paul@cwvys.org.uk by 30 August 2024.

CWVYS members Cwmbran Centre for Young People (CCYP) are looking to recruit volunteers for their new exciting inter-generational project Community Coming Together.

You can find all the info in the poster below, or get in touch with; Leila.Long@CCYP.org.UK

This project is made possible thanks to funding from the Torfaen Community Resilience fund, Torfaen County Borough Council and the UK Government Levelling Up Fund.

One Million Mentors: Mentors needed in schools this September / October 2024

Would you like to give advice, increase confidence and provide a number of opportunities to a young person? 

Would you want to support a young person’s future and career goals?

Here is our 1MM Introduction video

This September and  October, One Million Mentors are setting up their 2nd year of mentoring programs doing just that in a number of secondary schools.

These schools are:

Cardiff 

• Mary Immaculate High School (hybrid)

• 4th September (11:20 – 12:10pm) –  (DBS checks)
• 16th October (11:20 – 12:10am) – (First meeting) 

• Cardiff West High School – October
• St Illtyds High School (hybrid) – September
• Cathays High School (in – person) –  September
• Willows High School (hybrid) – September

 

Newport 

• St Joseph’s High School (in – person) – October
• Newport High School (in – person) – October
• Bassaleg High School (in person)

• 10th October (1:30pm – 3pm) – (DBS Checks and First Meeting) 

• Llanwern High School – September
• Caerleon High School – September

 

What is 1MM?

1MM mentoring empowers young people to become the best version of themselves: building relationships – free of assumption and judgement – where they benefit from another’s experience and perspective and can think bigger, find their own answers and take the next meaningful step into their future.

We recruit, train and deploy volunteer mentors, matching them with mentees and providing high quality support to both so that they are well prepared and can have an effective and impactful mentoring relationship. Our mentoring is one to one, for young people aged 14-25 years old, for 1 hour, once a month, for up to a year.

Here you can find our poster and here is a QR code to sign up;

All we ask of our volunteers is to sign up to our platform at www.1mm.org.uk and complete some mandatory online training.

You can find more of what we do here: One Million Mentors

 

 How do I get involved?

There are plenty of ways of how you can help but here is a step – by – step guide on how!

1.       Sign up on our platform on www.1mm.org.uk. Sign up as a mentor.
2.       Complete your Online Profile and Training – This will take approximately 1 hour
3.       Attend a Mentor Induction Workshop (optional). After completing the training, you will be sent an invite for one of our monthly Mentor Induction Workshops. You can attend either before or after your first session.
4.       We will match you with a Mentee. Once all training is completed and you have registered for a workshop we will match you to a mentee.
5.       You will be in a school supporting a Young Person!
   

Socials: We are on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn to find out on the latest news and powerful stories that we encounter everyday at 1MM.

We also have our own podcasts to listen to! Here we discuss the mentoring journey from both mentors and mentees from 1MM!

In – person school programmes: This would mean that commitment to the programme is important in order to meet with your mentee. As this is a school programme, a timetable will also be created to ensure your mentor sessions are on school sites where teachers are available to supervise.

You can contact us for further information :-  

Raman Purewal (the Programme Administrator for the Cardiff Capital Region): raman.purewal@1mm.org.uk

 

t:    +447502107409
e:  raman.purewal@1mm.org.uk
w:  www.onemillionmentors.org.uk

A message from the Marketing and Communications Team for the Youth Sector in Wales;

Youth Work Week has been an incredible journey filled with amazing experiences, and we hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have!

Now is your chance to offer feedback!

Your feedback is invaluable in helping the sector improve and make future Youth Work Week events even better. Whether you engaged with #YouthWorkWeek24 online, led events, or followed along, we want to know your thoughts.

Please take a few minutes to fill out our feedback form. Your insights will help us understand what we did well and where we can grow.

👉 https://forms.office.com/e/Vq1iPLizmX

Thank you for being a part of Youth Work Week and for sharing your thoughts with us. If you have any further questions or wish to get in touch, please contact manon@cwvys.org.uk or branwen@cwvys.org.uk

#YouthWorkWeek24

A new initiative, Charity Hall of Fame, has launched across the UK.

Based on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, our aim is to gather together the incredible stories of the amazing people that have changed our society for the better, so that we can create a living archive that serves to educate and inspire others about the impact of charity and civil society on communities throughout our nation.

We are now open for nominations for our inaugural class of 2025 – with the closing date for nominations being Friday 20th September 2024.

Charity Hall will Induct people under the following categories. You may nominate someone for one category only, and they must be based within the UK.

• Community Impact: For those who’ve made a big difference in their field, especially in service settings, whether by helping people directly, bringing communities together, or driving significant community change.

• Social Pioneers: For those – such as social leaders or founders – who were the first to tackle an issue or bring about change in their field or community.

• Justice & Equality: For campaigners or policymakers who have worked hard to fight inequality or injustice, leading to changes in laws, policies, or to raising awareness.

• Philanthropy: For outstanding funders and donors who have made significant changes through their donations or funding, supporting causes in innovative or collaborative ways. We’re including donors of time, skills and resources in this category too.

Charity Hall wants to inspire the next generation of community changemakers, so each category will also recognise:

• Young Changemakers: ideally aged 11-25, but up to 30 years old considered.

Historical/Posthumous nominations are welcome in each category.

Before you nominate, please read the Criteria and its accompanying Q&A.

The closing date for nominations is midnight on Friday 20th September 2024 – we look forward to hearing from you!

Estyn have recently published a report on Youth Engagement and Progression Lead Workers.

It includes some feedback from young people on how valuable they have found their support from workers, which is quite nice to read.

You can access the report here; https://www.estyn.gov.wales/system/files/2024-07/Youth%20Engagement%20and%20Progression%20Lead%20Worker%20Review_0.pdf

The report is also available here; Youth Engagement and Progression Lead Worker Review_0

Below you can find a brief report of the key messages from recent engagement by the Welsh Government Youth Engagement Branch with young people and youth work professionals in Wales

It was an opportunity for them to hear the views of young people.
It was also informed by their recent Empower Hour sessions.

Strengthening the legislative basis for youth work in Wales.

An update from Welsh Government’s Youth Engagement Branch on engagement with young people and youth sector.
What we have heard from young people
In May 2024, we provided an opportunity for young people to share their views and experiences about the youth services and activities available to them in Wales. Read more about it here Youth Work in Wales What does it mean for young people?.

Over 100 young people have responded so far, through their youth service, organisations and groups, along with individual. Below is a flavour of the key messages:

• Around 50% of responses stated that they had access to youth clubs and youth work in school or college such as lunchtime clubs and individual and group support. “I get lots of support from the staff”. “I always feel listened to and valued”. “Youth club is a safe space where I can be myself”.
• Around 30% stated that they had access to Welsh language, faith-based, charity, sports and creative groups such as art, music and dance in their local areas. “There are lots of opportunities for work experience and experiences in different areas”. “I’ve made many new friends since I’ve joined the club”.
• Less than 20% of responses mentioned forums, online spaces, information/ drop in shops, trips and residential experiences.
• Less than 10% of responses mentioned targeted and specialised activities such as counselling, homelessness prevention, volunteering and vocational taster activities.
• Over 50% of responses mentioned transport – both the cost of travelling and lack of public transport as things that stops or makes it difficult to access youth work provision. “Sometimes I can’t have a lift home from school if trains are not running” “It’s hard to get a lift to club when mum and dad are working”. “I think lots of trips can be too expensive”.
• Around 30% of responses indicated that a lack of information and local services, rurality and a lack of time/ other commitments were also barriers to access. “People need to hear more about the opportunities that are there for them”. “There isn’t awareness of what is available to us as young people”.
• Around 30% of responses also stated “nothing” prevents them from participating.
• Less than 20% of responses mentioned issues such as disability, anxiety, age, poor wifi and parental/ family support were barriers to them accessing youth work
• Around 40% of responses stated that more outdoor spaces and facilities such as sports, arts and culture were youth work activities, services or events that they would like or need that they don’t have at the moment. “More activities for people between 18-25”. “More services for young people with disabilities and people with special needs/ additional learning needs”.
• More than 30% of responses said that they wanted more youth clubs and spaces to go to and having more opening times for existing community centres. “I want clubs or more opportunities locally to speak Welsh”. “Would like Youth Club to be open during the summer holidays”.
• Less than 20% of responses said that digital spaces, outreach, residential and more preventative and targeted activities were things that they would like more of such as volunteering, training and community safety. “We should have FREE Wi-Fi in our Youth Club / places that we meet – Everywhere has WIFI expect for Youth Clubs”.Around 15% stated not sure/ don’t know for each question.

What we have heard from the youth work sector, partners and stakeholders

During May and June 2024, we also held a second series of ‘Empower Hour’ online sessions which focused on three specific areas and which assisted our work in both redrafting the existing statutory Youth Support Services Directions and Extending Entitlement Guidance in preparation for formal consultation later this year. Read more about it here. Over 70 individuals attended these sessions, with detailed discussion and some thoughts captured by a jamboard.

Below is a summary of the key messages: In relation to strategic planning for youth work:

• Long term planning can create consistency, an equal footing and a simpler and clearer framework based on what young people want and need. Which can drive greater understanding and awareness.
• “Strengths and opportunity-Focussed”. Greater emphasis and protection of open access provision and safe spaces – anchored by young people’s involvement and delivered in collaboration.
• Would a strategic plan protect youth work funding and promote better proactive rather than reactive services? How can this strengthen and promote the role of voluntary youth organisations?
• “Fixed in vision but flexible in the journey” – a collaborative and transparent approach can protect and bring the sector together to scope the future of youth work. Have to take stock and utilise what is already there and ready to co-deliver.
• A long-term planning cycle can harness innovation and bring about change in places where it’s needed. “Inevitably the fundamental issue will be funding dependant”.
• Incorporating qualification requirements could disadvantage or add complexity of registration for those providing important services for young people from the voluntary sector. In relation to accountability within youth work
• Provide a consistent, transparent and structured approach across the sector that delineates responsibility – particularly to young people.
• It could encourage parity at strategic level and open doors to more effective funding applications and information sharing – other routes previously unavailable.
• Can provide a national framework for measuring impact and outcomes for young people – which can enable pathways for research and drive professional parity and standards. However, could stifle innovation if systems and data sharing is complex – time consuming and detract from delivery/
• It could add further demand on capacity and limit flexibility and localised approach for local needs.
• The importance and status of volunteers in youth work needs to be protected and supported within the framework. Opportunities for prioritising and reflecting the needs at local levels. In relation to strategic Partnerships for youth work
• A strategic plan can provide the structure for reflecting local priorities in a long-term view, rather than a short-term reactive way based on problems.
• Sharing data and information is essential to ensure that plans can be sustainable, transparent and achievable – each partners must buy into the process and be supported organisationally and politically. Also considering that some national organisations will operate across several local authority areas.
• It takes time for relationships to develop and establish, a strategic plan must reflect that journey, and momentum and progress will vary across Wales.
• Can legislation strengthen key examples of good partnership working and to promote them more strongly? Would it promote and incentivise a sense of belonging and ownership from the sector and stakeholders to achieve the aims set out in the plan?
• Opportunity to develop a consistent language within the sector – alleviate technical terminology and jargon that often alienates and reduces collaboration.

Further details on next steps will be shared soon.

To keep up to date Sign up to the Youth Work Bulletin here

Find out more on the web gov.wales/youth-work-and-engagement

Follow us on X (Twitter) @IeuenctidCymru

I’m sure you’re aware it’s Youth Work Week !

Until June 30th, join us to celebrate the youth work sector and show recognition to those working in the sector in Wales.
This year’s inspiring theme, “Why Youth Work?,” invites you to highlight the incredible impact youth work has.

Happy Youth Work Week! We hope you’ve been enjoying yourselves. I’ve enjoyed seeing what everyone’s been getting up to via social media, thank you for tagging us and using the hashtags #YouthWorkWeek24
#WhyYouthWork

Here is a lovely short video about the importance of Youth Work from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales Rocio Cifuentes;

Don’t forget to keep tagging and to follow @IeuenctidCymru on twitter/x who have had some great takeovers on their channel so far this week 😊
Follow us on Instagram as well, we’ve been collecting all the posts which use the hashtags and compiling them in our stories.

Any questions you have about the week and this year’s celebrations, or any feedback, can be directed to Manon@cwvys.org.uk

Youth Work Week 2024 is just a week away!

From June 23–30, join us in all there is to celebrate about the youth work sector and show recognition to those working in the sector through organisations, local authorities, practitioners, youth clubs, leaders, and, of course, young people.

This year’s inspiring theme, “Why Youth Work?,” invites you to highlight the incredible impact of the youth work sector, and with all events hosted online, you’ll have the chance to participate in a diverse array of activities and celebrations throughout the week.

Here you can find the *Partner Pack*, which contains;

• Social media template examples
• Notes on the theme for Youth Work Week 2024; ‘Why Youth Work?’
• All this year’s hashtags including; #YouthWorkWeek24
• GIFs/Stickers
• Suggested messaging
• Contact details for any questions.

Here you can find a ‘How to’ video on using the stickers on Instagram;

Here you can find a video demonstrating how to use the Youth Work Week stickers on Facebook, Twitter/X and Whatsapp;

 

You can find links to all the Social Media templates *HERE*

And here are the Youth Work Week Motion Social Media Templates

Don’t forget about the social media takeover this year; https://www.cwvys.org.uk/youth-work-week-social-media-takeover/

Any questions you have can be directed to Manon@cwvys.org.uk