What We Do
Our work with children and young people
We have been providing opportunities for children and young people for over 20 years! Today we have 230+ children that come into the Centre each week. We encourage all children and young people to make suggestions about the types of activities they would like to take part in and we do our very best to meet their needs and aspirations by providing a wide variety of activities and opportunities throughout the year.
Each week we offer the following provision:-
Kidz Clubs – 4 afternoons/week from 4.30pm-6pm for children of primary school age. We have different evenings for different age groups. Activities include arts/crafts, multisports, console games, table top games, construction, group games and team challenges.
Junior Youth Club – Friday evenings for young people in school years 7,8 & 9
Senior Youth Club – Wednesday evenings for young people in school years 10-13
Friends Together – Tuesday & Thursday evenings for young people aged 16-25 who have additional needs.
The above sessions provide a safe and welcoming space for young people to meet up with friends, listen to music, have a game of football, show off their gaming skills, have a game of pool and table tennis or dabble in the kitchen. Activities are free choice and there are youth workers and volunteers on hand to join in the fun!
School Holiday Activity Programmes
We ae open during every school holiday providing lots exciting activities during the day for all age groups. Ice skating, climbing, trampolining, beach days, outdoor activities, BBQ’s, sports days are just a small sample of the activities you can join in with! We are always really busy during school holidays so places must be booked in advance
If you would like to come along and join in the fun, please give us a ring on 01915225031 as a parent or carer will need to complete a consent form and a registration form before your first visit.
In addition to our timetabled sessions we also facilitate ……
Young Volunteers Project – Many young people we work with are keen to develop skills and experience by becoming a young volunteer @The Box. We provide training, support and hand-on volunteering experience to young people aged 14+ who help out across our junior work activity programmes. The majority of our volunteers are drawn from our youth club members and we are proud to say they often stay with us to volunteer until they start work or go off to University.
Youth Committee – Representatives from our youth clubs and young volunteers project meet every six weeks to discuss the work of the project, share ideas and plan for the next period. Over the past year our Youth Committee has produced their own newsletter, organised community activities, alongside helping to plan our school holiday activity programmes. As an organisation we are committed to ensuring that young peoples voices are heard and have influence in how we operate.
Project Gambia – In 2011 we partnered with The Gunjur Project, a Youth & Community Project in The Gambia, West Africa. Every year we have organised a volunteering trip for young people aged 15-19. Over a period of 15 months young people are encouraged and supported to raise their own funds to take part in the experience which involves spending 10-12 days volunteering in Gambian schools and/or community groups. The process helps young people to develop a whole range of transferable skills, experience a vastly different culture, develop their self-awareness and confidence and increase their awareness of global issues that impact upon the l;ives of young people.
Enterprise Projects – We have worked with The Key organisation for 12 years, providing groups of young people with opportunities and funding to plan, deliver and evaluate their own mini-projects with the aim of developing key skills. Each year we support an average of five groups to complete Key projects.
Good Vibes Project – A partnership with Sunderland All Together Consortium, this project has been running for 3 years and provides young people with a safe space to meet, opportunities to talk to Youth Workers and/or engage in activities, and timely access to 1-1 counselling from a professional counsellor. Last year 84 young people participated in the Good Vibes sessions and 11 young people accessed professional counselling support.
Outreach Youth Work – our Youth Workers take to the streets, parks and woodland to try and engage with those young peoplethat don’taccess youth activities. Whilst we do target hotspot areas for youth related anti-social behaviour, the core aims of our work is to ensure that young people are aware of the opportunities and support available to them and can access information or support informally through regular contact with youth workers.
Next Steps – Youth Workers provide 1-1 tailored support for individual young people making the transition from school/college to work. We can help with online job search, job applications, CV’s, preparation for job interviews etc. Please give us a ring on 0191 5225031 to book an appointment 😊