As we come towards the renewal of the NYA Quality Mark, we have been thinking about how we can develop as a project. We are always looking for ways that we can move forward in order to meet the needs of the young people and community that we work with. The process of attaining the NYA Quality Mark has supported us to look at which areas we should prioritise. Thus, to develop the standard of our Youth Work Practice, this year we have delivered some internal, non-accredited training around the values of Youth Work.

It is really important to us that we understand the needs of those we are working with and ensure
that this is at the forefront of our practice. The training very much embodied this, covering how we
can support young people’s personal, social and educational development in a way that starts where
young people are at. This highlighted the importance of youth work being a completely voluntary
service in which young people have the option to engage with, providing a unique source of support
where young people feel safe and listened to. 

We had in depth discussions around the basic approaches within youth work, including anti-
oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice focusing on how we can ensure our practice is inclusive, accessible and engaging for all young people. Additionally, we thought about how we embed Voice and Influence into our everyday practice to empower young people to take ownership of their lives and experiences. 
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The training also covered the National Occupational Standards of Youth Work, Safeguarding
practices, effective planning and delivery, and the pivotal role of reflective practice. This allowed us
the space and time to think about our current approaches and ways in which we can develop this.
The Youth Workers engaged wholeheartedly with this training, and it was promising to see how
committed they are to their own learning and development in order to benefit the young people
that we work with.

“I found the Youth Work Training really informative. It opened my mind to different ways to better myself as a Youth Worker and to understand why we do certain things. Ayisja was happy to answer any questions and always made sure we understood what had been said.” 

We were happy to celebrate Volunteer's Week by dishing out some well deserved cards and gifts to all of our hard working volunteers. 

They are a great help in the sessions, the shop, the garden, and a lot of our events wouldn't be doable without their support. They're truly the backbone to our project the surrounding community and we hope we can continue to show our appreciation for them over the coming year.