Young People Have A Chance To Get A Cash Boost For Their Community Projects

Published on: 26 Oct, 2017
Updated on: 31 Oct, 2017

Young people in Guildford are being given the opportunity to get some financial help and backing to change or improve something in their communities at an event in November.

Called Soup for Supper it is taking place at the Boileroom venue in Stoke Fields on Wednesday, November 15, from 5.30pm to 8.30pm, and is being hosted by Surrey Youth Focus and supported by Guildford Borough Council.

School and youth groups can take part in the Guildford Youth Soup. They have to devise a project that will benefit them and their community. A prize of £20 will be awarded to each project submitted on the night.

At the event, up to eight young people or groups of young people will have an opportunity to present their ideas to an audience (five minutes maximum).

Each presentation will includes who they are, a picture of the problem, and a picture of the solution.

Each project can also answer four questions from the audience. Each pitch will receive £20 towards their project and the audience will vote for a star prize who will receive a further £40. And of course everyone gets a bowl of soup and bread – so everyone is a winner!

At the event, Surrey Youth Focus is aiming to engage young people in a discussion on youth topics, such as mental health, the police, stress, poverty and financial constraints, disabilities, ethnicity, relationships, recycling, personal changes in life, lack of access to after-school activities and so on.

It aims to establish the important issue for the young people and what solutions they have in mind to solve those issues.

The outcome is to empower young people with knowledge and tools needed to develop an action plan to address their issue including resources; to engage with and direct young people to existing services that can help with their projects; to support young people to deliver their social action project and evaluate it.

A good example of a project is one that that pupils at Kings College in Park Barn are working on. Several students at the school had been deeply affected by personal experiences of bereavement, self harming, bullying and depression; they chose to run a mental health programme including peer to peer support at the school during lunchtime and after school.

Parents and teachers are being encouraged to tell young people about the event and encourage them to formulae a project and take part on November 15.

To take part and for more details contact Caroline Martyn at Surrey Youth Focus by sending her an email to: Caroline.Martyn@surreyyouthfocus.org.uk

It is essential that a parent or teacher attends the event with each group.

Click here for Surrey Youth Focus’ website. It is based at Astolat, Coniers Way, New Inn Lane, Burpham.