NEWS RELEASES
Youth volunteers are back for more
1 July 2008
YOUNG people who gather in Horsham Park are now able to take the advice of trained volunteer youth workers.
The Youth Support Team (YST) aims to provide young people with regular advice and information as well as to increase awareness of support available.
Research carried out in the summer of last year shows that there can be as many as 130 thirteen to 18 year olds gathering in Horsham Park in Horsham on Friday nights and a number of them are experimenting with alcohol and substances.
The volunteer workers who give up their Friday nights to the project are fully trained and checked and range in age from 20 to 50, providing a wealth of information.
Popular topics of conversation last year included education, drugs and alcohol and health, and nearly all of the action taken by the team was advice and information providing.
There’s also a range of activities available, such as real ‘beer goggles’ which help young people to assess their alcohol unit intake. Ball games and other sports are also set up.
As well as providing an independent source of support and information, the team also carries refuse bags and first aid kits to help maintain a clean and safe atmosphere in the Park. The team also actively supports Horsham District Council’s ‘Your District, Your Choice’ anti-litter campaign’.
Speaking last week, project co-ordinator Ray Driscoll said:
“Horsham Park with its skating facilities and proximity to the town centre is a popular place for 13-18 year olds to meet.
“The Youth Support Team is not there to police or patrol but to engage with young people in a positive way and I am delighted that we have secured funding to return for another year in this innovative project.”
Cllr Andrew Baldwin, Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Support at Horsham District Council, added:
“The Youth Support Team makes a huge difference to the park at the weekends.
“Bringing advice, support and information to large groups of young people in their own environment is no small task and I really admire these volunteers for giving up their time to do so.”
The Youth Support Team is a joint project run by Horsham District Council, West Sussex Youth Service, The Anglican Parish and Brighton Road Baptist Church, and supported by the Horsham District Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (HDCRP).
Ends
Note to editors
This news release has been issued by Horsham District Council as part of the Horsham District Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.
The Horsham District Crime Disorder Reduction Partnership is a statutory partnership of Horsham District Council, Saxon Weald, West Sussex County Council, Sussex Police, Sussex Police Authority, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and West Sussex Primary Care Trust. The Partnership is charged with reducing levels of crime and disorder in the Horsham District through sustainable solutions; by working with other key public, private and voluntary agencies and the community. More information is available by calling 01403 215116 or email: communitysafety@horsham.gov.uk
CONTACT: Richard Morris, Communications Manager
Email: richard.morris@horsham.gov.uk