South Shropshire Youth Forum works with approximately 120-150 young people, aged 9-18 per year. We run a variety of projects and deliver services depending on the needs of the young people in each market town area. We currently provide regular evening sessions during term time, day projects in schools and services throughout the school holiday periods and at weekends. Currently we run 3 programmes of activity including:
Generic Youth work: We offer weekly a Monday and Tuesday night offer in Cleobury Mortimer and Craven Arms respectively. We also run a weekly outreach/drop-in youth project in Ludlow, delivered in partnership with Hands Together. On Mondays and Wednesdays we also deliver a youth project in Bishop's Castle. This project has developed with the support of the Town Council. We work with Schools, more recently in Bishop's Castle Community College, Bishop's Castle Primary School, Stokesay Primary, Church Stretton Secondary and Cleobury Primary School.
Community and diversionary projects: We help represent the views of young people both at partnership meetings and on a local strategic planning level. We feel that the views of young people should be heard, especially as they often feel they are unrepresented and not part of their community. In the past we have helped set up young people led forums but these are sporadic due to finances and the lack of local support. More recently we have delivered and hosted Youth Conferences in south Shropshire and this has been an effective way of communicating the needs of young people. In the past we have also hosted Political Speed Dating events enabling young people to talk to local decision makers.
Diversionary projects are delivered to engage young people in their own free time (usually holiday periods). Young people have developed their own ideas and so projects such as the Ludlow Garden Help Scheme has become established.
Heritage Based activities: including projects based in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now National Landscape) including Young Rangers and Young Rangers Outreach projects in Secondary Schools. We feel that young people should be able to have the opportunity and confidence to explore what's on their doorstep. We have delivered over 10 years of activity including woodland restoration, bushcraft, practical conservation, outdoor adventure, and rural skills training.