Youth trainers make the grade
The next generation of Sunderland youth workers have made the grade, after completing a specially-funded course made possible thanks to a city partnership.
Seven volunteers have passed a new course delivered by Sunderland College and Sunderland City Council, with the two organisations striking up a partnership to address a shortage of available funding for accredited youth training courses.
ChristopherBrown,Adam Clarke, James Clarke, Adam Gorzelanczyk, Amy McCerery, Thomas Milner and Dominique Sohar, all aged between 16 and 19, have successfully passed an ABC Level One Introduction to Youth Work course, that was made possible thanks to a Sunderland City Council youth lead, Dave Murray, who accessed funding from the north area committee to deliver training for volunteers in the North area of the city.
Sunderland College and Sunderland City Council have worked together to run the 13-week course, which started in April, and the successful volunteers were rewarded at a special event that took place last Wednesday at the Marine Activity Centre in Roker.
The students were presented with certificates of achievement by the Deputy Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Doris MacKnight, and her Deputy Mayoral Consort, Keith MacKnight.
Coun MacKnight said: “These young people are already showing great commitment to youth work, volunteering their own time in not-for-profit organisations that are delivering huge benefits to their area.
“By supporting them in achieving a qualification, we are preparing the next generation of youth workers, ensuring that this vital skill-set, that can help to shape young people in our city, remains something we have in abundance in Sunderland.
“I would like to congratulate all of these young people, and indeed the council and college officers who have helped to make this training possible.”
Delivered by Sunderland College at the Maplewood Centre in Marley Potts, the course included a nationally recognised qualification and covered all aspects of youth work with 150 hours of classwork and community placements.
Students learnt about funding, outdoor activities, planning and delivery, working with young people with learning difficulties, understanding youth policy, and risk assessments.
The young people recruited to take part in the course are already engaged in voluntary youth work, working with organisations like SNYP, SNCBC, Monkwearmouth and the Kicks project at the Seaburn Centre.
Some of those who took part are investigating funding available that might allow them to complete a Level Two training course in youth work.
Ellen Thinnesen, principal and chief executive of Sunderland College, which delivered the training with the support of the council, said: “Investing in young people, and empowering them to give something back in their local community, is hugely satisfying for us as a college, and we are absolutely delighted to have been able to guide them through this course.
“The seven young people who have completed this course will no doubt go on to touch the lives of many more young people, using what they have learnt during this course to great effect while also guiding the next generation on to realise their potential.
“By supporting just seven people, we will be able to shape the future of potentially hundreds of young people they will work with in the future, which is a tremendous legacy for this project.”
Sunderland College and the council are working jointly to investigate the opportunity to access further support to allow them to roll the course out in other areas of the city.