Friends of Whitworth Youth began in 2017 following the closure of the only youth facility in the town of Whitworth, Rochdale. Local church and business leaders were acutely aware of the needs of young people including socio-economic issues, behaviour and emotional wellbeing.
What was needed
Designed to be a safe place for young people to meet friends, seek advice and learn new skills, FOWY provides a weekly youth club, monthly groups, mentoring sessions, schools intervention and holiday provision. Based at the Scout Hut under a newly appointed youth worker with a team of volunteers, the project grew rapidly to support over 60 young people per week through issues such as exclusion, family breakdown and chaotic living.
Having made a positive start, FOWY’s trustees needed to ensure that momentum continued. An ongoing funding strategy was required to secure the sustainability of the project, and support was also needed to strengthen the partnership with the secondary school, with clarity about what FOWY could offer.
Futurekraft led a local consultation with young people and key partners, and a development and funding plan was created and successfully delivered based upon the findings.
FOWY’s communications and public media profile also needed attention, in terms of clarity and detail, so that their presence was made known and activities promoted.
What we achieved
The involvement of Futurekraft has allowed FOWY staff and volunteers to focus on building relationships with the community. and on maintaining a high level of availability to young people.
As a result of the time and space to focus on relationship building, workers are now better equipped to engage young people in thinking about their spiritual journeys, which has always been the intention of the project – to be fully holistic in their approach.
“I can’t express how much help you have been for me in this alien environment of the charity sector that I am now navigating! All struggling trustees need their Futurekraft.”
Simon Macaulay, CEO of Anglo Recycling and FOWY Chair of Trustees
What a success story! Local leaders and private individuals responding to the needs of their locality with vision, generosity and faith; committing their resources to make a significant difference. Plans are now in place for a second youth club, and a new work space has been secured.