What is the Brampton Youth Project?
The Brampton Youth Project is a service dedicated to young people 18 years and under in and around the Brampton area. Our aim is to guide young people towards opportunities in the local area, offer a safe place to meet up on an evening and inspire youth lead projects.
We are currently recruiting for a team of youth workers who will be on hand to support the youth club, detached sessions on the street, and facilitate youth lead projects.
In a nut shell we are here to encourage and celebrate youth culture, bridging the gap between our young people and opportunities in the local area.
Why did the project start?
There has been an expressed need for a youth focused service in Brampton for some time now. We have the Green Door drop in service which has been welcoming to the young people. Nevertheless, funding and staffing is always an obstacle and resources are limited, therefore only having the one meeting place doesn't cater for the majority of young people in Brampton.
The over all crime rate in Brampton has not seen a substantial increase over the past 3 years. Although, criminal damage, violent crimes and drug related crimes have risen. The data supplied by the police shows that over half of all reported crimes in January 2024 are 'under investigation'. In January 2024 there were a total of 113 crimes in Brampton, that's all categories of crime including criminal damage, drugs and violence. 33 of the 113 crimes were committed here in the town.
This means in January alone there was at least one crime a day in Brampton town and a large percentage of these crimes are still under investigation. We are now in March and although the crime rates for February have not ben published yet we can take an accurate guess what they will look like. The police have a large case load to deal with and it keeps piling on.
It is up to us, the community, to lighten that burden in what ever way we can. If we can provide opportunities for our young people to gain a sense of direction and focus we will be able to steer them away from becoming another statistic on a pie chart which puts a negative light on this amazing little town.
It is not clear what percentage of crime is committed by young people in Brampton. However, with good role models, a safe feeling community, and a culture young people can feel proud to live within, we can make a difference.
There are many organisations, businesses and services in the local area with opportunities for the young people. It is our job at the Brampton Youth Project to bridge the gap between the young people and these opportunities. I have written about some of the experiences I have had working along side youth project teams in the past. If you would like to gain more understanding about how we, as youth workers, provide a platform for young people to express them selves within the community then please see my youth project blog posts here.
Who is involved with the project?
Our base is the community centre. James Burke at the community centre has been grafting to gain funding to appoint paid youth workers. As you will have seen, we now have this funding and we are recruiting. James has also secured us a room for the youth club and it is ideal, with an outdoors space and potential for our young people to decorate it. Having the community centre as our base is the best possible outcome, and as the project grows we will need to work as a team (youth and all) to keep this venue thriving, and we intend expand outwards.
I am your local Youth Worker, My name is Ben Yates, you will see me around the town with my daughter and Mudd the brown Welsh Collie dog. I am always running, skipping (jump rope) and adventuring. If you want to learn more about me then check out some of my blog posts here.
William Howard are been extremely supportive. We have had an initial meeting and the outcome was exciting, watch this space!
The police are aware of our efforts and have shown support towards the Youth Project. Our relationship with the police gravities around safeguarding the community and lowering the rate of crime. We have a good line of communication with Nick our community officer and our project goals will be about finding a balance between where the young people feel they are at, and how we can support them to support the police in reducing crime. As you can imagine this is where the work really begins. Having a youth team dedicated to effective communication and informal education is key.
William Howard and Brampton Primary offer formal education, however they go above and beyond offering additional opportunities for young people to learn informal life skills. It is humbling to see the amount of effort the schools put into the young people knowing how much red tape they have to work within and time restraints they must adhere to. The is where the Brampton Youth Project can lighten the load slightly.
The youth project offers informal education and community inclusion. The intention is to provide ongoing education and skill development outside of mainstream education in an informal setting. Through building working relationships with the young people, in the youth club environment, we can find out what they would like to contribute to the community and facilitate projects to turn these ideas to reality. If young people can develop relationships with local services and businesses this will secure Bramptons future.
If you are apart of an organisations in or around the Brampton area and you would like to know more about what we can offer you, please contact us. We hope that we can provide better opportunities for the young people in this area, and in-turn create a secure future for Brampton. A creative and enthusiastic youth is a secure future for the community. If you would like to join our mission then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Our next steps
Over the next couple of weeks we are holding interviews to appoint a team of youth workers. We aim to start the project towards the end of March / beginning of April.
The first couple of sessions will be focused on introducing the young people to our team through detached sessions and centre based sessions. We will gather ideas from the young people on what kind of projects they would like to do and then work towards brining these ideas to reality. We will also offer training and coaching facilitated by local services and our youth work team, with the aim of up-skilling the young people.
We would also like to hear from parents and potential partners of the project. Please email us ben.yates@bramptoncc.org.uk or message us on social media here
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