At the Drop-in Centre we have a fantastic Careers Youth Worker, Kath Dunn, funded by the William Allen Youth Charitable Trust. Kath supports young people one day a week either informally, by discussing goals and aspirations, or formally, via CV writing or job interview skills. Kath has also upskilled the whole staff team, which has led to huge increase in the employment and training support delivered. In May, 76 young people accessed support at the Drop-in Centre for employment, education or training.
Having identified a need for young people to learn more about self-employment and flexible working, Kath has developed a new programme, unique to Youth Concern, called the Making It Project. It aims to give young people the opportunity to understand self-employment as a pathway, develop their leadership skills, and learn about working in the creative industries. We’re running it in partnership with the Mason Foundation, the Sammee Project and the National Film and TV School and it is funded by Aylesbury Community Board and Buckinghamshire Council. Through taking part in this project, 18-25 year olds in Aylesbury Vale will progress towards self-employment or flexible work, increase their confidence and agency, better engage through flexible, youth-led delivery and be able to grow their peer networks.