ymca humber - january 2015 newsletter

YMCA

HUMBERNEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2015

2 www.ymca-humber.com

3Transforming Young Lives

CONTENTS

5 Students Showcase FireSafety

7 YMCA 'Drops' Into OasisImmingham

9 YMCA 'Hops' to HelpScouts

11 Piece of Cake for YMCAYoungsters

13 Alternative Christmashits Immingham

15 Matthew Heads North ofthe Border

17 Gary Does YMCA Proudat Youth Matters

19 Sleep Easy CampaignPicks Up Pace

20 Christmas at YMCAHumber

24 Contact Us

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7

9

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@YMCAHumber /YMCAHumber

19

BUDDING young firefighters fromImmingham were presented withawards for completing a six-week FireSafety and Awareness course that washeld in conjunction with HumbersideFire & Rescue, YMCA Humber andEnfuse.

The ceremony took place at thetown’s Margaret Street ResourceCentre, where youngsters wereawarded with certificates andprizes.

During the six-weekcourse, which was heldat Fire Stations inImmingham and atPeaks Lane, Grimsby,the Year 7 studentslearned about thework of the FireBrigade, including arecent lesson on howfiremen search forpeople in a fire and how toperform CPR on rescuedindividuals.

The pupils passing the course wereRyan Ali, Bailey Dyke, Aiden Hardy,Rylan Hinz, Phoebe Salter and KeeganWeston.

And the group performed differentpresentations at the event, showingattendees some of the skills andknowledge they had learned throughthe course.

Rylan gave a brief introduction on thegroup and what they had learnedbefore Ryan and Aiden gave anexplanation on a fire fighter’s kit andwhat it protects them from.

Keegan’s impressive hose runningdemonstration was a real highlight and

Phoebe read out her speech about atour of the fire station, which thestudents enjoyed in week two of thecourse.

Rylan and Bailey gave ademonstration of the BreathingApparatus (BA) Shuffle, whichfirefighters use to search and rescuetrapped people during a fire.

Jocelyn Dennis, Community YouthWorker for YMCA Humber,accompanied theyoungsters on thecourse.

She said: “Thesessions are veryinteractive and itgives the youngstershands-onexperience.

“They get to learnabout fire safety, which

they can transfer intoeveryday life.

“But they also get to look at the workfire fighters have to do, theprecautions they have to take in theevent of a fire and everything theyhave to consider to save people’slives.

"It has been eye-opening for me too,you don't really realise how much workfire fighters put in”

The event came to a close with Rylanthanking everyone for attending andgiving an emotional speech about thework which firefighters do to save livesevery day.

For more information on HumbersideFire & Rescue, please visit http://www.humbersidefire.gov.uk/.


“The sessionsare very interactiveand it gives theyoungsters hands-onexperience.” Jocelyn,Community YouthWorker

STUDENTS SHOWCASE FIRE SAFETY

YEAR 7 students from Oasis AcademyImmingham took part in another ofYMCA Humber’s popular Drop DownDayeventsat the schoolduring theearlypart of the winter term.

In total, four groups of youngsters learnedabout the history of YMCA as a youthmovementand theworkof theorganisation inthe local area.

The sessions were split into two separatelessons, one focusing on the history ofYMCA and what it is like to be amember of one of the charity’shousing projects, the otherlooking at the mythssurrounding homelessness.

Running the lessons wereYMCA Humber teammembers, Andy Tappin(Youth and CommunityServices Manager),Andrew Hornsby (FoyerManager), Jonathan Byrne( C o m m u n i c a t i o n sCoordinator) and JocelynDennis (Community YouthWorker).

Joining Andy and Jonathan for their lessonwas Jamie, who had previouslystayed at the Community Houseand is now one of the youngpeople in our Peaks LaneHousing Project.

Jamie was able to talkabout his experiences ofhomelessness, what ledto him coming to YMCAand his life since joiningthe projects.

The Year 7 students wereextremely intuitive with theirquestions during a Q&A sessionand they had plenty of interestingthoughts on youth homelessness andwhat it is like to be part of YMCA Humber.

They also learned about what YMCA standsfor and it was interesting, at a time whenYMCA nationally is revisiting its mission andethos, to hear that many of the youngstersthought that the ‘C’ stood for Community,rather than Christian.

There was also a talk on Sir George Williams,founder of YMCA, the services that theorganisation has provided and its scopeacross the globe in 125 countries.

Andrew and Jocelyn led a lessonon ‘Busting the Myths ofHomelessness’, which sawpupils looking at reasonsyoung people becomehomeless and then whattheir stereotypical viewof a homeless personlooks like.

Rylan, aged 11, spokeabout how interestingthe lessons were and hishopes for a career with the

youth charity.

He said: “I attend youth worksessions with YMCA on a Wednesdayevening in Immingham and I really enjoy

spending time with Andy, Jocelynand the team.

“YMCA does a lot of greatwork for young people,not just abouthomelessness and Iwould love tobeable towork for theorganisation when I amolder.”

For more information onthe Drop Down Days,

please call Andrew Hornsbyon (01472) 580550.

“YMCA doesa lot of great workfor young people; Iwould love to be ableto work for them whenI am older.”

Rylan, aged 11,Immingham


YMCA 'DROPS' INTO OASIS IMMINGHAM

YOUNGSTERS from the 1st KeelbyScouts Group took to YMCA-donatedspace hoppers to celebrate their 40thanniversary in a special event atCherry Garth, Humberston.

The group were looking for a special way tocommemorate their milestone through a‘Hop-a-Thon’ at their Humberston base andYMCA Humber ‘hopped’ in with a donationof 24 space hoppers.

Around 250 people in totalattended the event at CherryGarth, 60 members of theScouts and their families.

Activities on the dayincluded variousscouting experiencessuch as, archery,cooking and thehopping events.

Louise Drakes, co-ordinatorfor 1st Keelby Scouts Group,spoke of her delight at YMCAHumber’s donation.

She said: “The theme for our40th anniversary was a‘Hoppy Birthday’ and wewere looking at variousways we couldcelebrate the occasion.

“Our original plan wasaround frogs and to dosomething that involvedswimming.

“But then we came acrossYMCA’s Humber Hop eventand we felt that space hoppingwould be a lot more apt.

“The donation of some space hoppers

allowed us to give our young people theopportunity to take part in something uniquethat they will remember for years to come.”

Jonathan Byrne, Communications Co-ordinator for YMCA Humber spoke of howthe youth charity was happy to help outyoung people across the region.

He added: “Like YMCA, the Scouts do suchfantastic work for young people, not only in

this region but across the globe.

“So we were delighted to beable to help the 1st KeelbyGroup celebrate their40th anniversary in sucha memorable way.

“We hope that thegroup had a great dayand created lots ofmemories that can beshared with their

members for years tocome.”

The young scouts hopped around aspecial course set up at the Cherry

Garth site and, despite the wetand windy conditions, theyall had a fantastic time.

Louise added: "Onbehalf of Keelby ScoutsGroup, we would like tothank YMCA for gettinginvolved.

"All the scouts enjoyedthe day and it will be

something they rememberfor a long time to come.

"It was a great way to mark the group's40th anniversary."

“The donationof some space

hoppers allowed us togive our young peoplethe opportunity to takepart in somethingunique." (Louise Drakes,

1st Keelby Scouts)


YMCA 'HOPS' TO HELP SCOUTS

THE YMCAKes project at our Peaks LaneHousing Project continues to go fromstrength-to-strength with the addition ofa stall at Freeman Street Market inGrimsby.

Manned by staff from the Youth andCommunity Services department, as well asyoung people from the project, the stallpresented festive gifts that were createdthrough theproject at affordable prices –withall money raised going towardsChristmas activities.

The project was thebrainchild of Youth andCommunity ServicesManager Andy Tappinand he saw thedevelopment of the stallas thenext step for youngpeople to progress andstart thinking about socialenterprise opportunities.

He said: “We have a number ofyoung people within Peaks Lanethat are interested in cooking and artsand crafts.

“The idea was to take this a step further andstart to sell the products we make through astall at Freeman Street Market.

“So not only are young people learning vitalliving skills but they are also stretchingthemselves further to think about how theypresent and promote a product, as well ashow they budget to ensure that they don’tspend more than they are gaining throughsales.”

Some of the items on offer included plumloaves, biscuits, cup cakes, scones, Christmasdecorations and printed candles.

Community Youth Worker Jocelyn Dennis has

been leading the group in putting the itemstogether at the housing project.

She added: “The young people involved hadalreadydeveloped their cooking skills throughearlier sessions but now they have theconfidence and knowledge to tacklesomething a bit more challenging.

“They have come through with flying coloursbecauseeverything theycreatedhasbeenof

a good enough standard to sell on thestall.

“They are already thinkingof ideas for how they candevelop this and make iteven better during2015.”

And the wares certainlywent down well with thepunters, with the candlesand loaves selling out on

several occasions.

Lucie Ramsden from Cleethorpespurchased a plum loaf and a candle

and she was delighted with the quality of theitems.

She said: “The plum loaf and candle wereabsolutely fantastic and good value formoney.

“They were certainly shop quality and it goesto show the talent that some of the youngpeople at YMCA have.

“The plum loaf was very tasty and packed fullof fruit and the candle made a welcomeaddition to the Christmas decorations.”

Formore informationonYMCAkes, pleasecallAndy Tappin, Youth and Community ServicesManager on (01472) 359621.

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“They werecertainly shop

quality and it goes toshow the talent thatsome of the youngpeople at YMCAhave.” (LucieRamsden)

Transforming Young Lives

PIECE OF CAKE FOR YMCA YOUNGSTERS

FAMILIES and young people inImminghamwere treated toaChristmasparty with a difference thanks to anumber of local youth organisations,including YMCA Humber.

Funding received fromAwards For All allowedOasis Academy Immingham to host the freeevent with YMCA Humber and other partneragencies providing a range of activities.

On hand were the Earthbound Misfits,who provided circus-themedactivities, Grimsby Cycle Hubwith the bicycle juice makerand Scalextric, lasershooting and archeryfrom Get Hooked onPositive Activities(GHoPA), wood carvingfrom Greenheart, as wellas street dance.

YMCA Humber providedfree food, including healthy-choice burgers and hot dogs,as well as toasted marshmallows intheir new purpose-built trailer, which isused for detached youth work sessions inImmingham.

Over 100 young people took part in the eventand the feedback was extremely positive.

Richard Pond from Immingham attended theevent with his five-year-old son Stephen andhe was impressed with the activities on offer.

He said: “It has been a fantastic afternoon atthe school, it’s nice for the children to havesomething different to do in the summerholidays.

“I liked that there were a lot of differentactivities to try out, especially ones that youdon’t normallyget todoona regularbasis, likethe cycle juice maker, archery and circus

activities.

“The food on offer was healthy and tasty andjust the thing to warm you up on a cold,December afternoon.

“We hope that there will be more events likethis in the future.”

Andy Tappin, Youth and Community ServicesManager for YMCA Humber, helped

coordinate theeventandhe is hopefulthat the organisationswill be able

to do just that.

He said: “We want tomake this a regular thingduring the schoolholidays and theFebruary half-term is ournext target.

“Hopefully otherorganisations will find out

about what we are doinghere and want to get involved

so we can make the event evenbigger and better.

“The idea is togiveyoungpeople somethingabit different to do in the school holidays.

“We tried to get asmany different activities aspossible, especially ones that were a little outof the ordinary.

“Those activities are out there for youngpeople butwe realise that sometimes it is hardto get to them from Immingham or perhapsthere is a cost implication, so we have beenable to step in and bring some of thoseactivities out here for young people.”

For informationon futureevents in Imminghamor YMCA’s detached youth work in the area,please call Andy on (01472) 359621.


“I liked thatthere were a lot ofdifferent activities,especially ones thatyou don’t normally getto do on a regularbasis.” (Richard Pond,

parent)

ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS HITS IMMINGHAM

MATTHEW left the Community House thissummer relocating to Edinburgh andbeing reunited with his girlfriend Shirelle,who has been studying and working inthe Scottish capital since she departedour Foyer project in 2013.

Originally moving into the Foyer because of afamilybreakdown,Matthewworkedhardwithsupport staff to get his life in order, particularlyas he wanted to focus on his studiesonce he got settled.

SuchwasMatthew’sprogressat the Foyer, he was soonrecommended for aplace in our CommunityHousingProject incentralGrimsby.

He said: “I really enjoyedmy time at the Foyer.

“It gave me the space Ineededtogetmypriorities rightand allow me to start focusing onmy studies.

“I also made a lot of friends in the project andthey are people I will stay in touch with, eventhough I have moved away to Scotland."

The move to the house gave Matthew thefurther independence hewas craving and herepaid staff by taking on board their adviceand working extremely hard to pass a Level 3course in Computer Studies.

He continued: “I have always had an interestin computers and the course was perfect forme to start learning about the more intricateins and outs of the profession and I hope tocontinue learning once I have settled inEdinburgh.

“I had never really been good with deadlines

but staff at the house coached me intoprioritising and the importance of my collegework.

“It helpedme focus and I worked very hard tomeet thedeadlinesand Iwas reallypleased tolearn I had passed the course.”

At the same time as working on his studies,Matthew took on board staff’s suggestions towork on his personal skills, particularly around

the house and especially if he wasplanning to move in with his

girlfriend!

He concurred: “I realisedthat if I was serious aboutmoving in with Shirellethat I would have towork on being a littletidier!

“We were probablylooking at working at

different times of the dayand itwouldnotbe fairofmeto

expect her to tidy things awayafter me.

“Once I got into the routine, I found that timespent tidying up was time well spent.”

Matthew’s move to Scotland went smoothlyand, thanks to his prior planning, he was ableto start work almost immediately and he isalready looking forward to a well-deservedbreak.

He said: “As soon as I had finished mycoursework and began preparing for mymove, I began circulating my CV aroundbusinesses in Edinburgh and I was reallypleased to secure a job at a supermarket formy arrival.

“We are now looking to save up for a holidayin France."

"It helped mefocus and I workedvery hard to meet thedeadlines and I wasreally pleased to learn Ihad passed thecourse." (Matthew,

former resident)


MATTHEW HEADS NORTH OF THE BORDER

ALTHOUGH he didn’t scoop the YoungWorker of the Year Award, Foyer CoachMentor Gary Storr did YMCA Humberproud at the recent Youth MattersAwards in London.

Gary was nominated for the award by his shirtpartner Charlie Kurz and faced stiffcompetition from Kay Westgate at YMCASuffolk and eventual winner Jason Whybrowfrom YMCA West Kent.

The Cleethorpes residentimpressed the audience with aheartfelt and passionatevideo piece thatrecounted his time withYMCA Humber.

Gary said: “I have beenworking at YMCA foreight years and originallystarted out as areceptionist.

“After I completedmyuniversitycourse, I became a microbiologistbut I didn’t like it, which is how Iended up becoming a full-timeworker with YMCA.

“In July I moved to ourCommunity Houseproject in Grimsby andmet a challenge with ayoung man who has agambling addiction.

“He’s a very nice guy butthe biggest challenge isgetting him to admit he has agambling problem.

“Once that was achieved, I was able to getin touchwith a local gambling counsellor andI attend meetings with him on a weekly basis.

“Henowpays his rent on timeand is beginningto manage his money a lot better.”

“I was working with a young man who didn’tknow how to tell the time,” he recalled.

“So I had to sit with him and teach him how todo it and it was a great achievement for usboth.”

He continued: “I really enjoy my job, it issomething different every day.

“It is rewarding to help peopleovercome challenges and Ilike to help them everystep of the way.

“Working with YMCAhasgivena realpurposeto my life.

“I’mgrateful for what I’vebeen given and I don’t

take things for granted.

“YMCA is really like one big family,we embrace all kinds of people.”

Also attending the YouthMatters Awards was PeaksLaneProjectManager JimHudson, who presentedthe YMCA of the Year toYMCA North Staffs,alongside YMCAEngland CEO DeniseHatton.

Jim spoke passionatelyabout the work of YMCA

Humber’s Community Houseproject, which won the award in

2013 and was later interviewed by BBCNewsbeat on the organisation’s work withyoung offenders.

“Working withYMCA has given a

real purpose to my life.I’m grateful for what I’vebeen given and I don’t takethings for granted." (GaryStorr, Youth Matters Awardsnominee)


GARY DOES YMCA PROUD AT YOUTH MATTERS

YMCA HUMBER’S flagship fundraiser SleepEasy is now less than a month away and thecampaign is beginning to pick up speedacross the region.

Over 75 participants have so far beenconfirmed for the three events taking place inGrimsby, Hull and Beverley and organisers arehopeful of evenmore fundraisers signing up inthe next four weeks.

The annual event, where fundraiserspledge to sleep rough for onenight to raise money andawareness of youthhomelessness, is in its fifthyear, with YMCA and itspartner charities lookingto build on a successful2014 where over £32,000was raised through thecampaign.

So far, three events havebeen confirmed for 2015 atGrimsby’s Freshney Place CarPark, Hull’s Wilberforce Collegeand Beverley’s Kings Church on Friday30th January between 6pm and 6am.

Jonathan Byrne, CommunicationsCoordinator for YMCA Humber has beendelighted with the response to Sleep Easy sofar.

He said: “The support fromthepublichasbeennothing short of magnificent, the number ofpeople signing up to the event early has beenreally promising.

“Homelessness seems to be a topic that ismore prevalent than ever in the publicconscience and we are seeing that againthrough Sleep Easy with the number of newsign-ups – people who have not taken part inthe event before.

“And with the festive period having passed,we normally see an upturn in the number ofsign-ups, especially as promotionalappearances happen across the region – weare extremely hopeful that we can break ourrecord for number of people at one venue,which is currently the80wehad inGrimsby lastyear.”

And the fundraising has already kicked intogear with the first major milestone

having been passed over theChristmas holidays.

Jonathan continued:“We’ve already passedthe £1,000 mark in ourfundraising, so that’s agreat achievement.

“Our target is £25,000 forthe year – we’ve raised£100,000 in the past four

years, so if we can keep thatlevel of fundraising going then

that would be absolutelyfantastic.

“Of course if we can surpass that figure againthen that would be another promising signthat the people of the Humber Region arecommitted to putting an end tohomelessness.”

Registration for Sleep Easy is now open atwww.sleep-easy.co.uk and more informationon theeventcanbe foundat thatwebsiteorbycalling (01472) 693388.

All the money raised through Sleep Easy staysin the Humber Region and this year’s partnercharities are YMCA Humber, Harbour Place,CARE NE Lincs, Hull HARP, Child Dynamix andCity Life Church.

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“We areextremely hopeful

that we can break ourrecord for number ofpeople at one venue."Jonathan Byrne, YMCA

Sleep Easy Team


SLEEP EASY CAMPAIGN PICKS UP PACE

GRIMSBY’S Foyer Project held its annualChristmas party at St Aidan’s Church inCleethorpes on Tuesday 9th December.

Staff at the project volunteered their time toput on a fantastic Christmas meal, with all thetrimmings, as well as games and activities forthe young people of the project.

The party gave a great chance for youngpeople at the project to interact with staff in amore festive atmosphere.

Cooking of the meal tookplace in the purpose builtkitchen at the church andthe facilities on offerenabled staff to preparea veritable feast offestive fodder.

There were the usualcrackers and partypoppers, with everyoneinvolved getting into thefestive spirit.

After the meal was finished, the groupmoved into the church for a mini talent show,which allowed staff and young people toshowcase some hidden skills.

Foyer Project Manager Andrew Hornsbyplayed guitar to accompany the signing ofTerri AnneMcIver, whoearlier in 2014 hadwona spot on the bill at YMCA’s AsOne Festival inthe Midlands.

Also performing were Jason, who took to thetrumpet to deliver some traditional Christmascarols; Daniel, who sang a solo piece andAbigail, who tried her hand at standupcomedy.

It was a very enjoyable evening for both theyoung people and the staff with Andrewpraising all those involved.

He said: “TheChristmas period canbedifficultfor the young people in our projects.

“We associate it as a time we spend with ourfamilies and a lot of them have suffered somesort of relationship breakdown, so it can behard for them to get into the festive spirit –sometimes it can bring back a lot of badmemories.

“What we try to do is take them awayfromthatand focus theirmindson

spending time with staff andtheir fellow residents so thatthey realise that there arepeople out there whocare about them – evenif they think there arenone.

“This year we have donethingsa littledifferentlybyhaving our party at St

Aidan’s Church.

“We would like to thank KateHutchinsonat thechurch for allowing us

full access to the roomand kitchen – the extraspace means that we able to prepare thefood less chaotically!

“And then the talent show is something a littlelight-hearted thatallowsus tohaveabitof fun.

"We have a lot of talented young people atthe Foyer and it is nice to give themaplatformfromwhich they can showcase those abilities.

"It alsogaveusall achance tobe reflectiveonthe year gone by and what we have allachieved together as a project.

“Special thanksgoes to thestaffat theproject,who have all worked hard to put on the party– they’ve gone above and beyond oncemore.”

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“Specialthanks goes to thestaff at the project –

they’ve gone above andbeyond once more."Andrew Hornsby, Foyer

Project Manager


FOYER'S CHRISTMAS CRACKER OF A PARTY

THERE were plenty of activities andcelebrations at the Peaks Lane HousingProject this Christmas, largely thanks togenerous donations from individuals,businesses and communityorganisations within North EastLincolnshire.

The Christmas spirit first came to the projectwith a trip to the world renowned LincolnChristmas Market, which was held at the startof December.

Staff and volunteers ensuredthere was a full Christmasdinner and a gift for eachyoung person at theproject on ChristmasDay. A £500 donationfrom GrimsbyCleethorpes Lionsenabled YMCA Humberto lay on these festivecelebrations, with Lions’member Colin Deans sayinghow the organisation wasdelighted to help young peoplewho are not always able to enjoy thefamily values of Christmas.

TherewerealsobuffetsonChristmasnightandBoxing Day, with YMCA Humber beinginundated with wonderful donations, such asa turkey from Phillips 66, Christmas Puddingsfrom Oakland Hall Hotel and soup from the‘Not Home Alone’ project.

By far the biggest donation came fromRamsden International, who made two drop-offs of sweets and other festive-themed food,which YMCA shared with partner agencies,such as Harbour Place, Doorstep and theSalvation Army.

The Christmas tree at Peaks Lane this yearcameas adonation from St. James’ School. Aprize in the school’s Christmas raffle, the

winning parent already had a tree anddecided to donate the other one to a localcharity with St. James’ choosing YMCAHumber.

And it’s not just festive donations that havebeen received by YMCA Humber. Kate fromCleethorpes presented staff at Peaks Lanewith hats and gloves for the young people ofthe project, so that they can stay warm onactivities in the cold winter months.

One of the annual attractions attheHousing Project is thecarolservice, led by Peaks LaneProject Manager JimHudson.

Staff and young peopletook part, singing carolsand performing festivereadings, before theypartook in some mincepies prepared at the

project.

But the festive season was not justabout receiving for the young people

and staff of YMCAHumber. Therewasalso theopportunity to give to those less fortunate –animals to be precise – as Deputy Peaks LaneProject Manager Denise Carter organised acollectionof surpluspet foodandaccessories,which was donated to the Blue Cross.

Danielle, Wayne and Darren accompaniedJocelyn to the Blue Cross Hospital on RailwayStreet in Grimsby, where staff were presentedwith the donations, which we hope will go along way to helping provide for animals thatare admitted to the project.

YMCA Humber would like to thank all thosethat have donated. Your generosity is reallyappreciated and goes a long way to helpingthose less fortunate enjoy a little cheer atChristmas.

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“Yourgenerosity is really

appreciated and goesa long way to helpingthose less fortunateenjoy a little cheer at

Christmas."YMCA Humber


CHRISTMAS AT PEAKS LANE

24 Transforming Young Lives

CONTACT USPeaks Lane Hostel

Peaks LaneGrimsbyN E LincsDN32 9ET

T: (01472) 359621

Foyer Project

1 Orwell StreetGrimsbyN E LincsDN31 3HB

T: (01472) 580550

Management Office

St Aidan's ChurchHart StreetCleethorpesN E LincsDN35 7RQ

T: (01472) 693388

Ambitions Shop

12 Wingate ParadeGrimsbyN E LincsDN37 9DR

T: (01472) 886906

@YMCAHumber /YMCAHumber

Registered Charity No. 1058613

NHF Registered Social LandlordNo. LH4152

Young peoplefrom our Foyer

Project enjoying theirChristmas party at StAidan's Church inCleethorpes. Moredetails inside.

ymca humber - january 2015 newsletter

Documents

history of ymca

ymca humber andenfuse

firesafety7 ymca drops

oasisimmingham9 ymca

workfire fighters

rylan hinz

awareness course

throughthe course