PROJECTS > APRIL 2024 MONTHLY MEETUP

4theRegion Monthly Meetup – Young People!

What are the opportunities for young people in South West Wales?

This discussion emphasised the importance of engaging young people in South West Wales and ensuring their active participation within their communities. There was a strong focus on involving them directly in decision-making, and ensuring that young people are well-informed about available opportunities, from apprenticeships to outdoor learning to life coaching!

Hear from numerous regional organisations about their projects and initiatives for and with young people. As usual, collaboration across different sectors is essential to create more inclusive opportunities and make young people feel valued, connected and supported to thrive in South West Wales.

Full Meeting Recording

Meeting Highlights & Notes

Colleagues from across our region share their updates and announcements as part of a co-created celebration of the array of opportunities for young people in South West Wales!

James Dovey from the Battle Arcade Project, Llanelli – Engages young people in building arcade machines and learning to use CNC machines, exposing them to new technologies and ways of working.

Zubs Iftikhar from YMCA, Swansea – Offers a comprehensive range of projects supporting young people: 5-day open access Youth Service drop-in; LGBTQ youth group available on Tuesdays; YTalent music project; Young Carers Service for individuals up to age 25 – and so much more. Keen to work with local organisations to support young people. If anyone would like any further information please get in touch Zubs@ymcaswansea.org.uk

Ffion from Working Options – Recently expanded into Wales, focusing on employability and life skills for ages 12-19. Provides industry insights and skill sessions, emphasising transferable skills. https://workingoptions.org.uk/ ffion@workingoptions.org.uk ! Please feel free to reach out as we begin to expand into Wales to inspire and support the next generation.

Ruth Robinson from SCVS – For those that are working with volunteers aged 14-25 in Swansea we have a Youth Bank Grant available. This up to £1,000 to support youth led ideas. For more information Ii can be contacted at ruth_robinson@scvs.org.uk

Alex from Pembrokeshire County Council Business Support Team – Organising a 2-day boot camp for young people’s business start-ups, covering branding, marketing, and social media for individuals aged 16 and above.

Ruth from Selva Coaching – A new social enterprise aimed at coaching young people in their 20s on identity, life goals, and core values. If you have a person in their 20s in your life who is feeling lost and not sure what to do next please send them my direction as I can offer them some free 1:1 coaching as part of my pilot project.

James Morgan from Swansea Arena – Developing new projects including setting up a music tech academy to offer students real-world, hands-on experience. The creative sector is growing, and the arena wants to platform and promote local musicians and artists. jamesmorgan@theambassadors.com

Keith Harries from Coleg Sir Gar – Currently offering free numeracy training for people aged 19+ through the Mulyiply project. Details are available on the college website.

Tom Moses, CWBR Youth, PLANED – Highlighted the importance of showcasing positive things to young people and discussed how to amplify these initiatives. Focuses on connecting young people with town councils and has been successful in integrating them into decision-making processes. Announced a new project bid for a regional project to connect young people with elective representatives and community project leaders to enhance youth voice. Looking for collaborators for this initiative. To share the learnings from the Cwbr Youth project – online event Tuesday 23rd 7pm tom.moses@planed.org.uk

Rhys Harries from Inspiring Skills – Skills Competition Wales, which provides vocational competitions for young people to showcase their skills. Winners get the opportunity to progress to UK and World Skills competitions. Emphasises nurturing mindset skills as well as vocational skills, with support from colleges.

Claire Reid, Gower College Swansea – Fantastic opportunities being shared here. It would be great to collaborate to support our 4,500 full time and 10,000 part time learners across the Swansea area and beyond. As Enterprise Champion I am passionate in supporting students across all learning areas and at all levels of study. Please do get in touch. claire.reid@gowercollegeswansea.ac.uk

Will Evans, founder of Will’s Petting Farm, Swansea – Will is a young entrepreneur; Excited about working with schools and children to show the lifecycle of a chick, helping connect children with nature and animal care. will@willspettingfarm.co.uk

Sue Poole from Young Dragons – Focused on promoting opportunities in the construction sector across the region, to primary age children, with special attention to introducing careers to females in construction. Collaborates with various construction companies through the City Deal, Cyfle, and Raven Delta Group. www.young-dragons.co.uk

Andrew Veevers from Mosaic Professional Development – Discusses the gap between teaching and professional development, promoting experiential learning as a new way to engage with professional development. CMI highlighted that 82% of managers lack formal training; his approach is proactive in helping people develop necessary skills.

Ian Howells from ACO Training – Offers apprenticeships in Business Admin and Accounting to young people.

Jessica Davies – DVLA – Runs DVLA’s Employability Skills programme, offering free skills sessions within Swansea, NPT, and Llanelli. Facilitates mock interviews and provides CV tips (general and Civil Service-specific), also demystifying the Civil Service to make it more accessible to those without degrees.

Lucy Cummings from PLANED – Acts as a catalyst for care-focused micro-enterprises in Carmarthenshire. Provides one-to-one support for setting up and expanding micro-enterprises in the care sector. Also facilitates a network group for social workers and health board staff.

Saadia Abubaker, founder of Saadia Speaks – Runs a youth empowerment platform aimed at inspiring, uplifting, and empowering young people, especially those from minority ethnic backgrounds. https://www.saadiaspeaks.com/

Tasmin Lee Peckham from Educ8 Training Group – Offers apprenticeships through the Welsh Government, working directly with employers to recruit apprentices from school and provide accredited qualifications. Apprenticeships fully funded in Wales for both existing and new staff – TasminP@educ8training.co.uk

Geraint Turner, Swansea MAD – There are a series of webinars and workshops with young people in May-June being run by youth organisations across Wales.

Ashley Davies from Canolfan Gwili – New venue available for all kinds of events, centremanager@llanedi.org.uk

Caroline from Swansea College of Art (UWTSD) – Graduate Summer Show is on Friday 17th May 6-9pm Alex and Dynevor Campus. Please come and join us to celebrate the wonderful creative students we have.

Lynette Anthony, Cyfle Building Skills – Shared Apprenticeships and Work Experience in Construction. www.cyflebuilding.co.uk lynette.anthony@colegsirgar.ac.uk

Final Notes

In the chat, participants asked whether there has been any thought to have a regional conference around young people – all the organisations that work with them coming together and showcasing success stories.
If any of these new connections turn into collaborations then please reach out to us at 4theRegion and let us know – these are good news stories that we would love to share! lydia@4theregion.org.uk
Participants are encouraged to promote and apply FGA ways of working and goals across their projects.
Open invitation for collaboration among partners on various initiatives to further enhance opportunities for young people in the region.