So, the private company that is Sheffield Futures/Connexions are making lots of workers redundant.
At the moment they are spreading the word that this will not affect on-the-ground youth work.
That is utterly misleading in my personal opinion.
Over the last few weeks I have watched as my local youth club was shut down. I have listened to the accounts of countless and rising run-ins with the police and local people ever since.
Now the youth service where I work is under threat, our last full time youth worker struggling to keep youth club together for as long as possible.

The youth service have had major financial problems, and the finger of blame can be pointed in many directions. But it looks very much as though our average youth clubs, aimed at giving your average young people somewhere to go away from the streets, offering training and advice, trips out, events and many other services, are going to be dropped in favour of only offering support to young people who are already in trouble.

In a sick way, I guess that's pretty sustainable, cos without recourse to some of the benefits listed above, there will no doubt be a rise in the number of young people getting into trouble and needing the 'targetted' services. Many schools and services are already only offering support, etc to those who play up the most. Message: cause mayhem and get noticed, get attention, get some benefit from it. Get on with things and don't act like an idiot and all you can expect is to systematically have all the good and useful stuff pulled out from under your feet.

We need to fight to ensure that basic youth provision is not taken away. For everyone's wellbeing.
Think it doesn't affect you? On nights when youth club has had to be shut down in our area, incidents of vandalism have risen accordingly. Arson, harassment, and the systematic destruction of buildings and structures were the order of the night. It's a problem for everyone.

Fuming,
Cosy:mad:

I worked in a youth club back in my home town and they were facing the same problems there when I left.

It is a sad fact i guess, the problem being that the kids who need the guidance won't go because it isn't cool enough.

Personally I have problems with conexions and don't know much about how the youth service is run in Sheffield. I have heard about the 393 club in Hillsborough but I wouldn't like to send the kids there.

Moon

Actually, our local services are/were getting exactly the kind of young people who needed the guidance ('I was the one who knocked that building down, Miss')... It's possibly different in some places, but that's been my experience over the last few years.

Besides, detached youth work (going out on the streets to work with those who won't get involved in any other way) is also under serious threat, which is arguably an even bigger crime.

The ones who were already hanging out in the park or on the streets all night have a place to go that's inside, warm, has food, and pool tables, music sessions, a computer, etc. And they do. And you can talk to them in that environment, even when they won't give you the time of day elsewhere.

Not for all, but for quite a few, it's been a huge bonus. So many youth workers I've met want to or have become youth workers because they were inspired by the people who gave them some time and space and boundaries.

What youth service in Sheffield?????? I thought connexions was just a careers info service?

I have never found anything like that up in Crookes or even Crosspool, maybe we don't need it???? All schemes seem to be over in Arbourthorne and Manor and poorer areas of the city but there are kids in other areas too, and they all need something to do and somewhere to go.

I went to a youth club every night when i was a kid and it was great to have somewhere to go that wasn't someones house. We could play pool, play footy and other stuff, watch telly, chat and just hang round somewhere that was not home or the streets. It doesn't seem to happen anymore. Why??
And they wonder why the kids all do drugs and get into trouble (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6858):loopy: