Youth Resource Network Leads come together

Last Wednesday, the Youth Resource Network Leads from across Essex, Southend and Thurrock, members of Essex VVU and ECVYS (Essex Council for Voluntary Youth Services) came together to consider the impact and successes they had seen this year.

The Youth Resource Network is a project funded by Essex VVU that aims to connect young people with opportunities available to them in their communities.

Through the Essex VVU listening project, one of the things young people told us, is that they didn’t know about support or youth clubs and groups that are available for them locally. This magnifies young people’s vulnerabilities and risk factors and led to us working with partners to develop the Youth Resource Network.

The Youth Resource Network Leads connect young people with opportunities within their communities, and in local services and groups to ensure young people can participate and receive support around their own interests and needs.

At Wednesday’s meeting, hosted by Essex VVU and ECVYS, colleagues came together to discuss the impact they’d seen this year, and to consider further opportunities for growth.

It was a lively and interactive session where everyone took part in a ‘Ripple Effect Mapping’ task, thinking about the impacts they’d seen as a direct result of the collective efforts of the Youth Resource Network, for individuals, the communities they work in, and the wider system.

These impacts included: improving connections between young people and youth work organisations; visiting schools and networking with professionals to ensure young people are accessing what’s available to them; that availability is targeted where it’s needed most; providing a trusted adult to young people where then can open up in a place of safety; keeping the Essex Youth Map up to date; and continuing to promote safe spaces for young people.

The following organisations, alongside ECVYS, form part of the Youth Resource Network, we thank you for the amazing work you do across all of Essex.