Mission Statement
Youth Works provides young people growing up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods with the skills and opportunities to develop their personal skills to reduce crime and improve their social, physical and economic environments.
Aims
| 1.. |
To address issues of crime and criminality among young people:
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Within a 3 year period to reduce recorded crime and nuisance levels by 30% to 50%; |
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Reduce arrest rates among young people on the programme by 60% |
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| 2.. |
To provide structured vibrant and optimistic programmes and activities aimed at providing young people with the skills, capacity and motivation to become directly involved in their personal development and the regeneration of their local
community.
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| 3.. |
To involve the wider community to ensure that the Youth Works programme is sustained, adding value to existing and new partnership initiatives. |
  
Objectives
| 1.. |
Youth nuisance will be reduced by providing a range of community based activities and access to a range of recreational activities and facilities.
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| 2.. |
At risk young people will have improved opportunities to fulfil their potential and reduce the risk of offending behaviour.
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| 3.. |
Young people will benefit from enhanced employment opportunities through access to training and educational activities.
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| 4.. |
Communities will benefit from reductions in crime rates, youth nuisance and the fear of crime.
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| 5.. |
Increased opportunities for young people and older residents to take part in decision taking in their lives and become stakeholders in their communities.
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| 6.. |
Improvements in the local environment will create the climate to attract business into the area. |
Evaluation
Proof that Youth Works 'works'
Janice Webb Research was commissioned in 2002 to independently
evaluate the effectiveness of the Youth Works programme. This research
clearly proved that Youth Works had a positive impact on crime and
nuisance and played a leading role in social inclusion. A copy of this
study is available for download below.
Further to this initial study Janice Webb Research conducted a year long
monitoring and evaluation of Youth Works programmes for the period
2003-2004. This research concluded that Youth Works is making a lasting
difference to the way young people in deprived communities think, feel
and act. Over 80% of young people interviewed in the evaluation said
that Youth Works had enabled them to develop skills and helped them
improve relations with other people, which contributed to keeping them
out of trouble.
Phil Hope MP commenting on the Youth Works Research on 7 July 2004 said
:
"We do need to give young people the opportunity to contribute
their ideas and enthusiasm, so that they too can be engaged in the
futures of their own communities. That's why Youth Works is so
important - its own evaluation report shows that working in the
community can help young people to improve their own lives and those
of the people around them.
The evaluation provides us with good evidence to suggest that
involving young people in the regeneration of their own
neighbourhoods can deliver cleaner, safer and greener communities,
whilst at the same time reducing anti-social behaviour and
developing young people's skills and confidence."
A copy of the Janice Webb Research 'Visible for the right reasons:
summary evaluation of the Youth Works model 2003–2004' can be downloaded
below.
A copy of the full Evaluation 2003-2004 is available on request from
Youth Works please email
info@youth-works.com
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