New To Trust Youth?
What is Trust Youth?
Trust Youth is a unique active citizenship programme designed to empower young people to make a difference while simultaneously giving them an opportunity to achieve success, to develop a wide range of key skills, and to have a great time doing it!
With the help of Trust Youth and a facilitating teacher the students form their own ‘mini charities’ and take on the roles and responsibilities found in a real charity organisation.
Trust Youth provides the students with training events and resource packs, enabling the team to design and carry out their own awareness and fundraising campaigns for one of Trust Youth’s national charity partners, who include the British Red Cross, Age Concern and YMCA. Teams can also opt to support a local charity of their choice. Trust Youth matches teams with a mentor from their chosen charity partner, who guides and supports them with their fundraising and gives them a greater insight into the work of their partner charity and the voluntary sector in general.
At the end of the project, student teams from participating schools come together at the Trust Youth celebration events to present their projects to Trust Youth teams from other local schools and win Trust Youth awards recognising their efforts. Teams demonstrating high levels of commitment and enthusiasm also have the chance to be put forward for a Diana Princess of Wales Award.
As a fully supported programme Trust Youth can work with a broad spectrum of students, and is particularly suited to reengaging and motivating those students unlikely to achieve exam success by giving them the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills in a supported, creative and enterprising way.
What are the aims of the project?
The aims of the Trust Youth project are
- To provide a positive experience for young people, giving them the chance to develop a wide range of key skills, grow in confidence and self esteem and to have the opportunity to succeed
- To raise the profile of the volunteering among young people and encourage positive engagement between young people and our charity partner.
- To promote the voluntary and charity sector as a potential career path
Read more about the ethos and guiding values of Trust Youth here
Who can take part?
Trust Youth is open to all secondary age young people, and can be offered to group sizes of up to 35.
Trust Youth works well with a range of students, and is particularly suited to engaging those students in years 9 and 10 that are unlikely to achieve exam success
Currently we have places available to offer to schools in London, and availability in the West Midlands and Northern Ireland (subject to demand)
Please contact us to find out more about offering Trust Youth in your schools
There are a vast and wide ranging number of benefits for young people from participating in Trust Youth
- Increased self esteem, confidence, motivation and engagement
- Development of key transferable skills
- Increased awareness of the voluntary sector
- Building awareness of social responsibility and capacity to become agents of positive change in the future
- Social enterprise/work related learning skills
- Opportunity to demonstrate success outside of classroom
- Opportunity to engage and negotiate with adults/senior management
- Encourages innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit
- Charity sector careers workshops available to other students within the school in addition to those taking part
Click here to see our evaluation evidence supporting the benefits of Trust Youth
Where does Trust Youth fit into your provision?
One of the benefits of Trust Youth is it’s flexibility – the project can slot neatly in any number of areas in your provision, allowing you to target it towards your individual needs
- Can be offered as either an out of school hours activity or within the curriculum
- Fits neatly into Citizenship provision, and makes an excellent Citizenship GCSE coursework project
- Provides excellent assessment opportunities for the ASDAN CoPE Certificate
- Curriculum links with PSHE, Social Enterprise and Careers/work-related learning.
- Meets recommendations highlighted in Ofsted’s January 2010 report into Citizenship provision
- Links in with the Big Society agenda
What are teachers saying about Trust Youth?
- “Good opportunity for young people to work together and identify their strengths”
- “Real opportunity which they don’t often get to display what they can do”
- “The charity link with a nationally recognised charity was very positive”
- “The appeal was to get the young people out of the classroom doing something different and more physical”
- “Ties in well with curriculum on social enterprises”
What is provided in the Trust Youth package?
- Initial school visit/assembly by Trust Youth to promote programme to students
- Training event in school by Trust Youth for students taking part
- Student resource packs and website-based resources for each student
- Facilitator pack and guidance for facilitating teachers
- Mentor from chosen charity to make 3 visits to students in school
- Central London celebration event in Summer term
- Individually designed session for year group on careers/working in the voluntary sector
- Phone and email support for facilitating teacher from Trust Youth London Coordinator
- Certification
- Entry to the Diana Awards -recognising young people who inspire the lives of others. Find out more at www.diana-award.org.uk
- School membership to TY network and newsletters
- Entry for multiple groups (up to 35 students total – please contact us if you wish to run Trust Youth for more students)
Is there a cost involved?
There is a cost involved in offering Trust Youth to your young people – please contact us directly for information on costs and the support available
When can I sign our school up?
Trust Youth projects take place throughout the year, and run over 8-12 weeks. You can sign up at any time – contact us for more info or to get started!