BVSNW Supported Projects

Riverside Boys After School Club

This is a partnership project between the Black Voluntary Sector Network Wales (BVSNW) and Barnardo’s Neville Street project, the provision engages Black and Minority Ethnic boys aged between 11-15, who live in Butetown, Riverside and Grangetown. The provision is in particular response to the lack of facilities and safe play areas in Riverside, of which most of the participants are resident.

Both groups will be planned and facilitated by existing members of staff from Neville Street and BVSNW, who represent a diversity of ethnic and faith communities. By working together on projects and participating in different activities and consultation events, young people of different faiths will have the opportunity to break down cultural and religious barriers and build positive relationships and friendships. The project aims to build a stronger sense of community cohesion and integration by promoting greater awareness and understanding of different faiths amongst young people and developing a culture of respect and appreciation for diversity.

Voices

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BVSNW in partnership with Cardiff Communities First, Cardiff Young People’s Partnership and projects run by Cardiff Youth Service facilitated a major BME Youth information and consultation event. This allowed a number of agencies both in the voluntary and statutory sector to engage with BME young people across Cardiff.

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The event, with support from BVSNW, was planned and led by a group of 30 young people from Somali, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Afro Caribbean and Yemeni backgrounds.

BME young people who were trained through the project facilitated a number of workshops. As a result of the project a database has now been developed with 160+ contactsof young BME people. The group is now working towards the development of a BME Youth Advisory Board to support and provide guidance to the BME Communities First Programme in Cardiff and designing a personal development training programme for young people.

Butetown Youth Action Group

This is a partnership initiative between BVSNW, Cardiff Black Youth Network (CYBN), Butetown Youth Pavilion, MENFA and Butetown Communities First. The project is aimed at:

  • Developing a group of 5-10 young people through support and training to establish a youth group/committee in Butetown.
  • Through this core group engage a large group of peers in consultation in planning and implementation of events and activities locally for young people.
  • To provide a platform for young people living in Butetown to have a say in matters that concern them and promote youth leadership and representation.
  • Encourage dialogue and engagement with young people in Butetown and decision makers, agencies and in particular the Communities First programme.

A launch and recruitment event has already taken place where at least 15 young people have registered their interest to be involved in the project.

The next step is for these young people to undertake a training programme, exploring mentoring skills, event management and facilitation skills in preparation for the project. These skills will be used to develop their consultation plan and undertake a local consultation project using focus groups, questionnaires and local youth events. This project is ongoing.

Joint Educational Achievement & Economic Activity Programme (JEEP)

BVSNW has been working in partnership with Somali Youth Association (SoYA) to secure funding and develop a three-year project aimed at increasing education achievement and tackling economical inactivity amongst Somali young people entitled the JEEP programme.

The main aims of the project are to increase the long term educational attainment and employability of Somali young people in Cardiff, through a culturally appropriate support and development programme.

The support and development programme (SDP) will consist of:

  • An overarching mentoring programme.
  • Homework and study skills club.
  • Home liaison and family support.
  • School liaison.
  • Summer scheme of recreational capacity building activities.

SoYA has been working on developing relationships with educational providers, colleges and schools and are currently working on funding applications to Children in Need and the Cardiff Children and Young Peoples Partnership.

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STEP-UP

BVSNW with Voluntary Action Cardiff (VAC) provided support and advice to SoYA in obtaining a grant for this very much needed project called Somali Training, Empowerment & Participation – Unlocking Potential (STEP-UP).

The project is designed to generate a pool of mixed gender, multi aged Somali young people as a mentoring resource. The aim has been to train mentors from the Somali community and provide positive role models to engage with Somali young people to support and mentor them in relation to attainment and allow them to progress within formal education.

In total the overall target for the training was to engage 10 –15 participants. The project engaged with 17 participants (11 male and 6 females) who completed the 2 day STEP UP – Mentoring training course and received a certificate of attendance.

Some of the additional project outcomes:

  • A number of the trained mentors have been approached by Menfa to engage in mentoring work for them.
  • The Boys Mentoring Scheme managed by BAWSO are interested in recruiting trained mentors as part of their project, initial meeting to take place beginning of May with Sam Anderson – project manager.
  • Discussions are being developed with Coleg Glan Hafren relating to the Mentoring of BME and in particular Somali students.
  • Directly after undertaking this training one of the participants was offered a short term post as a mentor/ youth worker on the Safer Cardiff Restart Bus that will be operating in Grangetown and Butetown over the next few months.
  • The BVSNW based Youth Development Worker responsible for the BME Youth Link UP programme attended the two day training course as part of their official induction and development period, allowing the worker to make key contacts within the Somali and BME Youth Community.
  • Majority of the participants would like to follow up the training with an accredited course in mentoring or related subjects.