Parkfield ThirTeen One of the most enjoyable aspects my work with our Community Development Trust is the opportunity to meet people all across the Bay doing what they can to support and encourage others who are finding life difficult or challenging. My recent visits to Parkfield, for example, allowed me to meet a group of young unemployed people engaged in an innovative project run jointly by Torquay’s Jobcentre and Paignton’s Eat That Frog (ETF). ThirTeen gives the group – all out of work after 13 weeks of job-seeking – the chance to work together in a variety of outdoor activities, from tree-cutting and ground-clearing to fire-making, and after talking to them at the end of the scheme it was good to hear what they felt they’d gained from the experience. ETF work closely with Job Centre Plus across Torbay, Teignbridge, Totnes and Plymouth, offering training and support for job seekers, education and opportunities, focusing, they tell us, ‘ on enabling individuals facing barriers in their life to overcome and work through them in order for them to aspire towards individual goals and achieve their full potential.’ Asked by Torquay Job centre to support them to assist their 13 week unemployed 18-24 year olds in their search for work, ETF decided to combine training for a qualification with challenging outdoor activities with the aim of motivating and inspiring them. The project also aims to give the participants the chance to engage with some of the demands of a daily routine, learning or being reminded of the rewards and challenges of working with others – and having, of course, to take orders! Lisa from Jobcentre Plus explained the thinking behind the course, telling me that after 13 weeks people can become – understandably – not just frustrated but increasingly despondent. ‘They get demoralised,’ she told me, and the project came about as a way of trying to tackle that. Chatting with the group I was struck by how at ease they were with each other and with Catherine, the course tutor. After all, few of them had known any of the others at the outset and early days had been spent in part getting to know one another and learning how to work as a team. Their light-hearted and positive mood was a testament, I felt, to the success of the two weeks - and even more so was the fact that two of the group have opted to take on another, longer session. All being well, the project will be repeated for others and this time Josh and Jason won’t just be taking part but acting as mentors for the next participants. Clark from the group, meanwhile, is taking on a catering role at Eat that Frog’s Pad and three more are going into work, while another, Anthony, told me that he was intending to take on more work experience, possibly back at Parkfield: ‘I didn’t enjoy the weeding,’ he said, ‘but the rest was good – especially lighting fires and cooking!’ Talking to Anthony reminded me, too, of how much these youngsters have to offer in terms of their individual skills and knowledge. At first a little shy and uncertain, he became enthused on the topic of the influence of violent films and games on their audiences, something he’d researched and given a presentation on in a media course a little while back. With still another attendee looking at gaining qualifications in an educational setting, the organisers of the project are right to feel enthused by its success and to be pleased, too, that so much has been achieved to help maintain and develop a well used community space in need of much attention. Once the group have given their feedback to the Jobcentre the hope is that Parkfield will be the setting for more weeks of outdoor activity – with Jason and Josh on board. Certainly my impression is that the experience has been a really positive one for the young people involved. Wanted: clothes and bedding! As another reminder of how tough times are for some in our community, TRIP – the Torbay Recovery Information Project – is in desperate need of clothes and bedding. It’s not unusual for visitors to the always inviting drop-in to arrive wet, weather-worn and in need of a blanket or two. If you could spare anything that would help out people in real need, TRIP would love to hear from you. You can call them on 01803 380873 or visit the Torquay drop-in Castle Road. Action Works! I sometimes meet sceptics who insist that ‘there’s nothing I can do’ when it comes to taking action in the community or beyond it. The truth is very different, thank goodness, from global to local, as Torbay’s Purple Angel campaign can testify. Norman MacNamara tells us: ‘I’ve have just had an email to say that the Dolphin Inn has had a block booking of 20 people because they saw the Purple Angel Dementia Awareness logo on their website, and they know it’s a place of safety and non judgmental. Does our campaign help those with Dementia and their carers? Yes it does!’
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 09:11:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015