2024 - Youth Connect South West

Youth Connect South West is a charity supporting young people predominantly aged 11-19 in Bath and North East Somerset.

Originally, part of the Bath and North East Somerset Council services, Youth Connect South West was officially launched as an independent organisation and registered charity in 2019, with the aim of preserving and increasing youth services and providing safe places that make a real difference to young people’s lives.

With a dedicated and passionate team, they offer a wide range of opportunities for young people from individual support and wellbeing programs to career education, employability initiatives, youth work, and alternative education to help them reach their potential.

ACTION

Youth Connect South West were awarded the main grant of £15,000 from Bath Women’s Fund in 2024 to help deliver a supportive and rolling programme – ‘This Girl Can!’ – aimed at young women who are at risk of exploitation and/or youth violence. This project is a transformative opportunity for young women to take control of their futures, assert their rights, and achieve self- sufficiency and independence. Using social prescribing methodology, Youth Connect South West plan to help these young women to develop skills and build resilience in the face of adversity and peer pressure, by exploring topics and activities that enable them to consider/explore their thoughts and beliefs and how others influence their decisions and goals in a safe space.

IMPACT

Over the next year, Youth Connect South West will use the funding to deliver the ‘This Girl Can’ programme so that it empowers young women from marginalised communities, that experience low mental health or are at risk of exploitation to:

• Ignite independence and free thinking

• Revolutionise their mental health and well-being

• Elevate their self-confi dence

• Boost their self-esteem

• Fortify their resilience

“We will run a supportive rolling weekly programme for young women and girls exploring different topics using a range of activities to share knowledge, skills and personal strategies to deal with life and develop life skills. The aim is to build women up and give them a support network. We’ll look at feminism, what makes them feel good, self esteem, confi dence, kindness, bullying, healthy relationships and risk. We’ll get them thinking about ways to protect themselves, risk assessing situations and technology, online safety, social media, body positivity, etc.. as well as family, friends and and community, cultural awareness and diversity.

They will also consider their future goals – where they are now, where they want to be and how do they get there – learning more about independence, life skills, fi nance, careers, resilience and choices around physical health, wellness, self-care and creative expression.” Programme Manager, Youth Connect South West, Cheryl Sharp

To find out more about Youth Connect South West visit: https://www.youthconnectsouthwest.org.uk/