Futures
respond
Dear Messenger,
I would like to respond to the
article in your last issue about Sheffield Futures and
the youth services in the Burngreave area.
Sheffield Futures delivers a high standard
of youth services in Burngreave and we are delighted
to say that we may soon be able to increase the number
of workers we employ in the area. We are currently negotiating
with New Deal for an additional £200,000 of funding,
which will be a welcome addition to the £150,000
from our own resources which we already invest in the
area.
The proposed project would create quality
youth provision via an additional four part-time detached
youth workers as well as management support and training
for the project and the voluntary sector. The new posts
would also create jobs for local people. We are actively
working with New Deal to progress this proposal, and
have been doing so for the last year or so.
It is important to stress the Burngreave
area has not suffered any major ‘cut backs’.
Sheffield Futures did sadly make six people redundant
this year – a much reduced figure from first estimates,
thanks to hard work by Sheffield Futures staff to attract
additional funding into the organisation – but
none of these redundancies affected staff in the Burngreave
area.
We have three centres in Burngreave which
cater for young people. These are: the Earl Marshal
Connexions Centre, Verdon Street Recreation Centre and
The All Saints Centre (Burngreave New Deal help to financially
support this project. Here we also run the Catch the
Drift project for young people excluded from school).
We also have detached youth workers in
the area and during school holidays we run the Positive
Activities for Young People project in parts of the
city, including Burngreave. This project helps to keep
young people busy, involved in positive activities rather
than congregating on the streets.
Sheffield Futures works hard for the young
people of Burngreave, and will continue to do so.
Yours faithfully
Helen Bale, Sheffield Futures’ Area Director for
the Burngreave area
Previous: What future
for young people?
Following our coverage of difficulties
at Sheffield Futures last month, the New Deal RIF Approval
Group refused to approve their detached youth work project
because of concerns about the management arrangements.
John Clark, Chief Executive of New Deal, explained there
were other concerns...
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