- £5,000
Grant for After School Club
TEENAGERS at the Brunswick After School
Club in Bootle are celebrating the fantastic news that their club
has just been awarded a £5,000 grant by Nestlé's Make Space
campaign.
The Make Space campaign aims to build a new
network of contemporary after-school clubs for young people aged 11
to 16 in England. Funded by the Nestlé Trust and managed by
children's charity 4Children (formerly Kids' Clubs Network), it
makes a limited number of grants to clubs around the country to
provide new or improved amenities for 11 to 16 year-olds.
The club is currently used by several hundreds
of young people every wee and is open Monday to Friday until 9.30pm
plus Saturday mornings. It plans to use the grant to decorate
internally, including the provision of new furniture for the chill
out space. The grant will also enable the club to work towards Make
Space Status, which will mean it will be able to take part in a
range of activities provided by the campaign.
The award is one of up to 26 in the third
round of Make Space grants. Last year over 30 clubs benefited from
similar grants. All clubs are required to meet stringent criteria
before the awards are made. One of the provisions for this is a
'chill out space' where members can relax and socialise with each
other. Other elements of a Make Space club include the provision of
quiet areas for study, plus access to sports and creative
activities.
Club manager John Webb said:- "We
are delighted. Young people in this area have nowhere to go and
socialise after school. Thanks to this grant we will be able to
provide our youth with better facilities and provide a wide range of
activities for them to enjoy with their friends."
Baroness Thornton, chair of the Make Space
Development Fund, said:- "I am delighted to award this
grant to the Brunswick After School Club, which recognises the
determination of its members and leaders in providing suitable
amenities and activities for young people in this area."
|
10,000
Usdaw members catch the learning bug
A campaign by trade union Usdaw to help workers return to learning, in many cases, changing their lives completely has this week reached a major milestone after enrolling its 10,000th participant.
The statistic is all the more remarkable when taken in the context that Usdaw, who are the UK's fifth biggest union, for the fact that they have only been Lifelong Learning campaign for six years ago. Learning projects are up-and-running in over 150 workplaces across the UK, many with designated learning centres.
The lives of many Usdaw members have been transformed by Lifelong Learning, including:- Three warehouse workers, who left school with little-or-no qualifications and thinking they had missed out on education, are now studying on degree courses at university. A man who, for decades, concealed the fact that he could not write, has found new confidence and been able to write a birthday card to his wife for the first time. Countless numbers of members who had considered promotion unattainable have now achieved their personal ambition and have jobs with higher grades and responsibility.
Usdaw now has more than 450 Union Learning Reps (ULRs) trained up and actively promoting Lifelong Learning in workplaces across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Courses offered vary from workplace to workplace, depending on demand, but usually include maths, English and computing, or even foreign languages, sign language and floral art.
"Lifelong Learning has been one of Usdaw's big success stories in recent years. Access to learning opportunities has changed the lives of thousands of our members. For some people, it has added further strings to their bow, while for others it has undoubtedly given them new confidence to go on and achieve their goals."
said John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary.
Through Lifelong Learning, Usdaw reps and officials work with employers and local colleges to set up affordable (often free) learning opportunities for workers. Courses may be carried out in the workplace, or employees may make use of facilities offered by the colleges on campus.
More information about the opportunities available are at www.usdaw.org.uk/lifelong_learning
|
