Here is an updatefrom Worth Unlimited an organsiation I was involved with for a while, if you are doing anything with young people at risk it will be worth a read, just so you can get a feel for the organisation. With stuff now happening all over the country it is great to hear how they are growing and impacting so many young people.

2008 has started at a fast pace across the branches with lots of developments and progress made. So much so that in fact it is impossible to contain everything that we could tell you about Worth Unlimited around the country within this one single email. We suggest that as well as what you read here, you do contact our Branch directors around the country who will be more than happy to provide you with even more stories and accounts from their branches which is where the real graft is done building hope, unlocking potential and realising worth among young people.

In this update :

· A Story … as yet unfinished

· Youth Mark Recognition for Local Branch

· Bridging the Gap

· New Initiative encourages wider Church involvement

· Macclesfield Grows

· Worth Unlimited in the Tyne Valley

· Significant Government financial backing for Worth Unlimited

· Media Interest Grows

· OCN Accreditation for “World Worth Living In”

· Annual Bike ride details announced

· Conclusions

A story … as yet unfinished
Once upon a time … there was a charity called dare2, set up with a significant launch grant from a businessman to help promote best practice in work with marginalised young people in UK. Just over two years ago its CEO, David Boul, met Tim Evans and realised he and Worth Unlimited had skills dare2 needed.

David continues the story, “A cross-funding arrangement was agreed and Tim got started on a strategic plan for dare2. Tim and I realised quickly that the two charities had far more in common – vision, mission and goals. By this time last year they had worked out a strategic alliance in which dare2 funded good practice development and testing with Worth.

With encouragement from both boards, co-operation got closer. Then last October we happily did the obvious and joined forces under the Worth Unlimited identity. Rather than go through the complexities of formal merger, dare2 trustees joined the Worth Board bringing the remainder of dare2’s launch grant.

All this may sound a bit remote from the world of a marginalised young person, but … together we now have a stronger national team to support Tim, a new treasurer – that’s me, and an increased number of branches with a strong emphasis on best practice. More importantly though, together we are having more impact with young people.”

Youth Mark Recognition

Worth Unlimited for Waltham Forest has just been awarded a Bronze level Youth Mark by the North London Connexions Partnership, following an intensive inspection of the projects that we run by a team of young people from North London Connexions. A team of young people including a young person who was one of our service users when she was young, spent more than 20 hours visiting the Mobile Youth Venue, a local secondary school and our office, speaking with our staff and many of the young people we work with. Their conclusion was that Worth Unlimited provides services that are welcoming, easy to locate, warm, cosy and user friendly.

Matt Perry received a certificate and award on behalf of the team of staff, volunteers and management group and assured the inspecting group that where areas for improvement had been identified (around making our policies easier to access and wearing name badges especially on the Mobile Youth Venue) these would be acted on. “We were keen to be inspected by young people,” said Matt, “Because as our service users it is their opinions that we value the most and want to act on. I am glad that the inspectors found our team and projects to be welcoming and friendly for young people and that they have given us some good ideas to build on and use to improve further what we offer.”

Bridging the Gap

15 young people from local Muslim and Christian communities in Waltham Forest recently spent a weekend together in Cumbria with support from our team and the Active Change Foundation. We explored the question “One Community OR Worlds Apart?”. The young people who got on so well together concluded that Waltham Forest could be and should be one community and that this one community is diverse with many different faiths and cultures making a contribution, not unlike a football team with different players playing different roles but still being ONE team.

The BBC filmed part of the residential broadcast a film about the project on BBC 2 on Friday 14th March on the Daily Politics Show which included comment by a Minister for Community Cohesion.
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