New project in Wales

13 August 2009

Global Youth Work is now expanding in Wales and the YMCA will be at the forefront.

Young people from YMCAs across Wales on a visit to Sierra Leone in 2008.

YMCA Wales have received funding from the Department for International Development (DfID) to deliver a global youth work project, with the support of Y Care International. The new three-year project will support global youth work in YMCAs across Wales. As well as co-ordinating and supporting global youth work projects, it will help YMCAs to integrate global issues into their everyday work with disadvantaged young people.

The project is targeted at non-conventional youth work settings, including prisons and NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) centres. Youth workers will also be able to access accredited training, resources and funding. The project will be overseen by a steering committee of YMCA Wales, YCI and Cyfanyd.
 
This will be the largest global youth work project to have taken place in Wales and will build on YCI’s Youth Workers Network project, which has sought to build interest and skills in global youth work across the UK and Ireland. It will involve a new full time member of staff joining Y Care International’s Global Youth Work department.
 
Matthew Jackson, Director of Global Youth Work and International Advocacy said: “This is a really exciting piece of work and will see the YMCA proudly at the heart of global youth work delivery in Wales. It’s the culmination of several projects that we have worked together on to introduce and embed global youth work in YMCAs in Wales and this project will see us roll out new resources to make global youth work a key programme of Welsh YMCAs”.