Ivybridge Youth Centre Project
As many people in the town are now aware, plans are being progressed to raise funds to build a youth centre next to the South Dartmoor Leisure Centre. The Youth Centre Action Group (a recently formed group of local residents helping to co-ordinate the progress and fund raising), would like to know what people think of the building plans and would welcome any support and especially, any ideas for raising the money needed.
It is estimated that the capital costs will be in the region of £200,000, with the first year’s running costs at £80,000 (including staffing costs).
HISTORY
1993 Ivybridge inter-agency group formed to develop joint working practices that would benefit young people living in the area. Agencies represented were:
South & West Devon Health Authority, Probation Service, Social Services, Ivybridge Community Education, West Devon Community Education, Devon & Cornwall Constabulary and South Hams District Council
1994 The group commissioned action research, funded by the Health Authority, to look at the expressed needs of young people in the catchment area of the college (Ivybridge and the surrounding 13 villages).
1995 A group of 25 young volunteers were recruited and trained to work alongside an independent researcher and two H.E students to carry out the work. The outcome of this was “Who Says So...?”, a comprehensive survey that highlighted 6 issues. They were:
1. Having a place to meet with friends.
2. The negative attitude of adults.
3. Drugs and alcohol.
4. Having people to talk to.
5. Boredom and having nothing to do.
6. A lack of transport and mobility.
This report was launched to a wide range of partner agencies with high expectations that this would lead the way to developing services that matched the needs as identified. A steering group was set up to focus on issue number 1. This group comprised of Ivybridge Community Education, the Rotary Club and South Hams District Council.
1996 Plans were drawn up but finding a suitable site was difficult. Three possible sites were identified but were discounted for various reasons.
1997 South Hams MAP commissioned a district wide conference / training event to develop a youth strategy. Two major outcomes from this were:
- The establishment of the 4 town focus groups.
- The acknowledgement by all that young people living in Ivybridge should be seen as the highest priority for the development of a warm, safe place for young people to meet in as this was the major gap in the current provision across the District.
1998 Ivybridge Youth focus group formed comprising of Community Education, Social Services, the Youth Advice Centre and South & West Devon Health Authority. This group looked in detail at existing services and developed a needs led integrated youth strategy that ensured existing services worked alongside any proposed youth provision so that young people accessed provision according to their level of need. MAP agreed to commission a feasibility study to assist with the process of “the development of a warm, safe place for young people to meet”. The Ivybridge Youth focus group decided that a site must be found before any further time and money was to be spent.
1999 As a result of the leisure centre’s proposals for improvements and developments to its existing provision being only partially successful, an opportunity was identified. The Ivybridge Youth focus group expanded to include South Dartmoor Leisure Centre to examine the possibility of securing land that had been previously been earmarked for development by the Leisure Centre. The group then visited the Phoenix Centre in Exeter, an established youth centre that has been successfully co-existed alongside a leisure centre, to better understand the implications of this embryo of an idea. Whilst this was moving forward a seminar was convened to consider a response to the Crime & Disorder Audit. As a result of this seminar the Ivybridge youth focus group expanded to include representatives from Ivybridge Town Council, South Hams District Council, Devon County Council and Devon & Cornwall Constabulary.
A proposal was submitted to South Hams District Council’s Economy & Leisure Committee which provided “in principle” support for the proposal to release land adjoining its leisure centre in Ivybridge, for youth facilities.
The group became “Ivybridge Youth~in~Action”. This inter-agency group decided to implement a feasibility study for the youth centre. Part of this study included work carried out by Rotary who produced initial plans for a youth building.
The group commissioned Youth & Community to carry out some consultation work with young people and the wider community to update the work carried out in 1995. This consultation produced the “Can We Have . . . ?” report. A working party was established to draw up a Business Plan. Another working party was established to draw up a constitution for a “Friends of…” group to fundraise for the project.
MORI’s Quality of Life Survey (Working Together in Devon) found that "the provision of more facilities for teenagers was the fourth most common priority amongst residents when looking for a better quality of life" (quoted in ‘Social Needs in Devon’, University of Exeter, 1999).
2000- Ivybridge Youth-in-Action secured funds from the South Hams Multi-Agency Partnership in order to employ a part-time Youth Centre Development Worker for a period of nine months.
The Youth Centre Action Group (Ivybridge), referred to as TCAG throughout this business plan, was set up to take responsibility for the management of the you centre. Drawing on existing support from within the community, volunteers came forward to act as trustees. A constitution was prepared and an application made to the Charity Commission to register as a charity.
A fundraising sub-committee was formed to raise funds for YCAG. Over £6,000 was raised though the efforts of community members. A range of fundraising events was held including a "Party in the Park" with local youth bands, which was attended by 200 young people, and a "Fun Run" which involved 250 runners.
The inter-agency group, Ivybridge Youth-in-Action, provided support to TCAG trustees (and will continue to do so during the initial phase of developing the youth centre).
Ivybridge Town Council committed £20,000 towards capital costs and £5,000 towards revenue costs, to be reviewed after the first year.
2001- Charitable status was granted to YCAG by the Charity Commission.
South Hams District Council offered an even better site to YCAG for the youth centre. The new site is also adjacent to the leisure centre and has the added benefit of being a larger area. This will make it possible to develop a single storey building at a lower cost. Planning permission was granted by the District Council.
South Hams District Council committed £25,000 towards capital costs.
YCAG continued fundraising and a range of events brought the total raised to date from community fundraising to approximately £14,000. A second "Fun Run" was particularly successful and attracted 220 runners.
The inter-agency group, which has supported the youth centre project, relaunched itself as Ivybridge Youth Issues Group. Support tot he trustees of YCAG continued to be provided when needed.
2002- A major meeting of all voluntary and statutory agencies working with young people in Ivybridge reaffirmed that a warm, safe place for young people is essential to address the needs of large numbers of young people ‘hanging around’ with nowhere to go in the evenings.
Devon County Council committed £50,000 towards capital costs.
YCAG continued fundraising and the total raised to date from community fundraising has now reached over £20,000.
Funding applications have been made to various charitable trusts and will shortly be made to the Community Fund (National Lottery Charities Board).
If you would like help, please contact Simon Thompson (Youth Centre Development Worker) on 01752 896662 or David May (Chair of Trustees) on 01752 698500 or send your comments to townclerk@ivybridge.gov.uk