Rowland’s takes to streets with new project
Rowlands Street Work. Julie Smith, project facilitator (left) and Susan Law youth development worker.
Rowland’s Dry Bar in the West Port is taking its youth work onto Selkirk’s streets to engage with more of the town’s young people, writes Sandy Neil.
The charity’s new project ‘Streetwork in Selkirk’ will place specially trained volunteers where teenagers ‘hang out’ in the town and surrounding rural areas, to target those who choose not to, or are unable to, make use of existing youth services.
The scheme’s objective, explains youth development worker Susan Law, is “to work with young people within their own communities to enable them to have a voice and participate meaningfully in the ongoing development of themselves as individuals and also to engage positively in their wider community.”
The need for Streetwork in Selkirk was borne out of two observations, she said: “Firstly, through recognising that many young people may be socially excluded from attending youth provision near to where they stay due to the rural location of their home, where transport links are not available or suitable. Many young people may also choose not to attend centre-based provision, but their right to information and input into decision making processes to our organisation is still important.
“Secondly, there have been recordings of complaints to Scottish Borders Council’s Community Safety Team and Lothian and Borders Police from local residents about young people in the streets who may be engaging in activities which for some are upsetting. Through discussions with these partners, Rowland’s has decided to work on the streets, initially through a mapping and questionnaire exercise to assess their need, and hopefully attract these young people into existing youth provision.
“Streetwork in Selkirk will use a variety of street-based intervention models to engage successfully with these excluded young people.”
Ms Law’s initial plan is to begin training Rowland’s staff and volunteers in March, covering issues such as street safety, dealing with challenging behaviour and effective recording. Then in April the team, branded with Rowland’s backpacks and logo, will hit Selkirk’s streets with questionnaires, Ms Law says, to determine “what issues are affecting young people, and what activities they would like to see provided, as well as enabling others to positively see young people within the community.”
Future plans also include a summer programme of cross generational work.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Selkirk
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.