BERKSHIRE Youth has teamed up with Tilehurst Parish Council to bring a weekly club to young people in Reading.
The new Tilehurst Youth Club will see weekly sessions for young people in schools Years 7-9 in Calcot.
The club features table tennis, table football, and team building activities, which many of the activities youth-led.
It has plans to introduce cooking and baking, providing a tuck shop and encouraging socialising.
It follows a consultation in which the Parish Council surveyed nearby schools, receiving more than 1,000 responses which will help shape its offerings for young people.
The youth club is one example of the services responses indicated was needed, and Berkshire Youth has even reported requests extensions to the session’s run-time to increase the amount of activities available.
Jessica Kirby, a youth worker with Berkshire Youth, said: “Families are struggling and safe spaces need to be accessible at a reasonable cost.
“Tilehurst Parish Council are committed to working with Berkshire Youth to make the services they provide as accessible to young people as possible, even thinking about how other spaces in the Parish can be used.
“Whilst cost of fuel and other living expenses is affecting families, it also affects community buildings, et cetera, which, for many communities, makes the cost of running projects like this even harder.
“Berkshire Youth is always looking for extra donations and funding to support our work to help make services as accessible as possible to all members of the communities, in as many areas as possible.
“We are finding the partnership with Tilehurst Parish Council is working really well and hope to work in partnership with more parish councils moving forwards.”
Berkshire Youth helps young people, including those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged, transition into adulthood by providing services and advice.
Tilehurst Youth Club takes place at The Jubilee Annexe, Calcot, from 7pm–8.30pm on Thursdays.
The first session is free, with a fee of £2 per weekly session applicable afterwards.
For more information about Berkshire Youth, visit: www.berkshireyouth.co.uk.
This week marks Youth Work Week, a campaign by the National Youth Agency which encourages young people, youth workers, and those who fund and commission youth work to celebrate the positive impact it has on people across the country.
This year, it is celebrating by featuring a gallery of images of supporters and how they promise to continue to support the services.
For more information, visit: www.nya.org.uk
