Lilleshall Residential For 3 days, 12 young people from the areas of Darlaston, Moxley and County Bridge descended on the National Sports Centre, Lilleshall. The reason for this residential was due to the young people wishing to undertake a sports residential and build relationships between young people from different areas of Walsall. The young people were reluctant to head for their usual residential centre which offers poor food and accommodation but something more elite. Their choice was to be the National Sports Centre in Shropshire. As you can image I and the other members of staff were some what cautious about this idea but decided that we would press ahead with the residential. From Friday - Sunday the young people were subjected to two training sessions per day focusing on team work individual roles within football and various fitness sessions. This again was something new for the majority of the group. During the weekend it was a first for me and the other memebers of staff not having to deal with complaints about food and their rooms; the young people and staff were in luxury. The young people therefore had been given a quality weekend at a national sports centre, were Olympic hopefuls had been training the previous week for Bejing 2008; along with the historic memories of the 1966 World Cup Winning team using the same centre as their base for the World Cup. This seemed to lift the young people in their aspirations for the residential. The work that Darlaston Detached team and the relationships they built with the young people along with coaching staff from Soccer Star Coaching enabled the group to bond and share in a great weekend that all the young people enjoyed. Comment from young person: "The coaches really knew what they were on about because they had properly played. Now we can play well cos they taught us!"
Complementary Therapy Project
Young people from Alexandra Youth Club took part in a six week Complimentary Therapy Project. The project aim was to inform young people of alternative ways to deal with stress and mental health issues. The programme was delivered to 12 young people aged 13 - 19, specifically addressing their needs to manage their issues concerning mental health.Young people from across Sandwell took part in Indian head massage, reki, aromatherapy,colour therapy, visualisations and crystals. The project was run in conjuction with bayc women's development team.
Music Project The Barnford Park Music Project has been running for around 2 Months now. Throughout the project Howard Clarke has remained focused on the issues that he wanted to affect. From writing the bid to gathering the support of his friends. We are now at the half way point and there is still more that Howard and the group want to achieve. Howard and the young people from Barnford have shown that they are now capable of achieving in various roles for themselves, both personally and as a collective. You will see from the comments below how they feel the project is shaping. “The first step of my project was to write a bid and I became successful. When I got the money I brought an imac, reason 3.0 a mic and a pair of kams. Before we brought the equipment to barnford I had to attend some music classes with Duncan to show me how to use the equipment. After this we brought the equipment to Barnford. I had to show others how to use the software. Duncan and O’Neil came to teach use how to put vocals over our beats in this course. I would have liked it if it was more than 1 day a week.” HOWARD CLARKE - PROJECT APPlLICANT. “I was part of the bid with Howard and participated in deciding on the equipment. I think the project has so far been very helpful and effective as it has kept us off the streets and constructive with things to do and homework set by O’Neil. O’Neil and Duncan have played a very important part in the project as they have helped with certain tasks and techniques in MC’ing and beat making. Also thanks to Mark for making it possible and Kicks for the whole Ting!!” WESLEY “I heard that Howard was goin for a grant with the help of Wes for decks ‘n stuff. He go it so we came Barnford to us it with the help from Mark, O’Neil and Duncan. For the first few weeks we had the equipment but couldn’t use it but now we can. The speakers are missing but we use Duncan’s. O’Neil was talking about what I would do in the project. I decided to write bars and MC; its ok but I need to improve a little. Its good since its been here but it was shit before.” LUKE I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Chrstmas and Happy New Year and leave you with this saying that I saw in an article just the other day and informed young people that I'd been working with from Barnford Park. "After you have given and done your best, not even angels can do better" Click to download the Kicz Project Lyrics (32kb Word doc) Spitting Project Three young people from Barnford Park Oldbury, are determined to create an environment were young people will be able to express their views on the community that they live in. The way that the young people will tackle this is through Spitting!
The young people have obtained funding for the project from the Youth Opportunities Fund (Sandwell Youth Service). The funding has enabled the young people to purchase a laptop, cd mixer, keyboard, microphone, cd’s and pay for music tuition plus the cost of the venue for the workshops to take place. Over the next 9 months young people will learn different aspects of music production and will then create tracks that reflect how they feel and see the community they live in through their eyes.
Over the forthcoming year stay tuned to the bayc website to hear the progress of the project and also some of the spitting that the young people produce.
Five a side Football Project The first Black Country Five-A-Side tournament took place at Lower Gornal Youth Academy in February 2007. The tournament took place through young people from LowerGornal Youth Academy wanting to play against other youth groups across the Black Country who had take part in the Stand Up Speak Up Project. Young people from across the Black Country came together and represented their youth groups in a competition that will be long remembered. Young people were commited to their youth group and showed respect to one another. Through football these young people were able to come together and express their skills and competitivness. It is now hoped that the Black Country Five-A-Side will become a regular fixture in the Black Country events list. Winners of the first tournament were: Lower Gornal Youth Academy DVD Project The group responded to concerns reflecting their community through a consultation process and through discussions. Young people decide to produce a DVD that reflects young people in today’s society. Each of the short films has been written by the young people and acted out accordingly and is designed to support professional in education, youth centres and venues where young people meet. All the short films show what it is like to be a teenager in today’s society, what they face and how they can be influenced by outside forces. The six topics the young people looked at were smoking, alcohol, drugs, mental health, teenage pregnancy and eating disorders.
Stand Up Speak Up Project
Young people from across the Black Country took part in coaching sessions and citizenship skills to look at the issue of racism in football and society at present . Young people looked at personal development and teamwork, and how this affects them and theirs peers. Football was used as a tool to bring young people together from across the Black Country so that they could work alongside one another and pass on their personal experience of the issues expressed. Young people from neighbouring areas were able to give personal stories of racism that they had received and reasons why they felt unsafe within certain environments. Assumptions and generalisations were dismissed through young people who would not have the chance to mix previously being able to work together. Over a period of months young people received training from West Bromwich Albion Community Scheme and Walsall Community Scheme. A celebration event was held at the end of the project where young people took part in a five-a-side competition and then attended a Championship Match at West Bromwhich Albion FC. The project was also supported by Eniola Aluko England Women World Cup Squad 2007, who passed on advice to the Walsall group on her experiences through women’s football.
