Agenda and draft minutes

Talk to your local councillors, groups and organisations

Give us your views on what is important to you in your community

Introductions:

Councillor Emily Nelson opened the meeting and welcomed residents. Cllr Nelson asked  Councillor Jo Coles and Councillor Andrew Waller to introduce themselves.

·       Introductions

·       Youth Provision updates

·       Taking care of the local environment

·       Have your say

Councillor E Nelson then introduced the first speaker who spoke about the youth work in the area undertaken by the Gateway Church.

Caleb Ellwood - Gateway Church

Caleb Ellwood from Gateway Church, explained that two projects run by the church had received ward funding. They have a Thursday after school club which runs during term time and this is for children and young people of a wide age group. This is staffed by members of the youth work and kids work teams. It is open access and informal. They do crafts, games, play on the Xbox with snacks such as fruit and toast provided. Current attendees are mainly of primary school age, with some secondary and some pre-school. The groups averaged around 15-20, with 8 being the lowest attended session and 35 the highest. The ward funding covers the snacks for this event and it is very much appreciated.

The church also received funding for their youth residential weekend which took place the week prior to Easter. Thirty -eight young people were taken away for the weekend to an outdoor centre in the Eden Valley. The funding received from the ward helped to pay for the activities. Caleb stated that the weekend was a great opportunity to build more intensive relationships between the young people and the staff team. 

Councillor Jo Coles asked how many children hadn't been on a residential weekend like that before? Caleb stated that he was unsure but a discussion ensued reflecting that since 2013 CYC universal Youth provision had been reduced significantly and therefore events such as this were really welcomed within the local community. 

Westfield resident, Councillor S  Fenton asked about the catchment area for attendees, asking if 100% were from the Chapelfields area and if the children were more from primary School or secondary school age. Caleb stated that children attending the after-school club were mainly from the Chapelfields area, but those who engage with gateway activities (the youth club they run after school) attracts people from further afield than just the Chapelfields area.  

A resident asked how engaged the parents were in the activities. Caleb reflected that some parents were very engaged while other parents were unknown to the team, and staff only really see them to receive the consent forms.

Jo Young – The Place

The second presentation was given by Jo Young who manages The Place. Jo presented a PowerPoint which is embedded into these notes, but briefly she explained the services they provide on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after school mainly for the children of Chapelfields area. They provide a whole range of activities such as lunch labs on Tuesday, homework support and other activities. please refer to the PowerPoint. For more details.

A resident Cllr Stephen Fenton asked to what extent have volunteers got involved in the project?  Jo explained that some volunteers work in the back office; some volunteers work in the garden and they have 4 volunteers to support the after school sessions.  They are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.