Who’s at the HUB?

A few people have asked recently who is at and who use’s the HUB, the following agencies are already housed with us and using the facility are under Phase 1, with another 15 agencies / groups moving in when phase 2 is completed in March 2010.

@ the HUB

A4e

APNC

CAREERS WALES

CANNLAW ONLINE “INFOSHOP”

LLANDRILLO COLLEGE

MENTYR IIATH

NACRO

NORTH WALES TRAINING

PRINCES TRUST CYMRU

RATHBONE CYMRU

REMPLOY

RHYL YOUTHBANK

SERCO

TAPE

WANT 2 WORK

WORKING LINKS

YSGOL TIR MORFA

Welcome to Rathbone Cymru

As Phase two of the HUB development progress's a number of organisations will be joining RYAG at the HUB. The first being Rathbone Cymru joining us in January 2010.

Rathbone is a UK-wide voluntary youth sector organisation providing opportunities for young people to transform their life-circumstances by re-engaging with learning, discovering their ability to succeed and achieving progression to further education, training and employment.

Rathbone will be delivering elements on the new FND programme from the HUB, for more information on rathbone and the work they do contact:

Caroline - 07913 847460

Wifi @ the HUB

With BT upgrading the Rhyl exchange on the 31st March 2010 to LLU service, RYAG have chosen to share our Internet access from the YouthCafe, when the new facility is built on the corner of Elwy Street, which should be in March 2010 a free WiFi signal will be broadcast at 20MB via 2 dedicated lines running across the HUB.

NO FRILLS 2009

RYAG has launched the second NOFRILLS consultation event, questionnaires and focus groups will be taking place over the next 10 weeks and we are looking for feedback from 800 to 1000 young people. Look out for young people and RYAG staff with clip boards in your area (they wont let you get away!!!) just kidding :) but please feed into this as results help shape RYAG's future and have some influence on the wider regeneration of Rhyl.

Questionaires will also be available online in February

Digital Stories to tell?

RYAG hope to run another 30 digital story sessions in 2010, contact the infoshop if your interested

RYAG Closing times

ALL RYAG activities will cease from the 21st December 2009 until the 4th of January 2010 for the Christmas break, if your a young person and you need advise or support during this time, you can still call staff mobile phones upto the 23rd December 2009 or contact Childline on 0800 1111 anytime!!!!

InfoCards on the way!!

RYAG, Denbighshire Youth Service and young people from Rhyl will be designing and producing infocards and leaflets for young people across Denbighshire from January 2010, upto 40 young people will be invloved in the CYPP funded project which aims to ensure young people have greater access too and knowledge of thier rights as children and young people in both English and Welsh.

If your interested in being invloved please contact Jay from DCC youth service or Wynne from the RYAG RAPP.

First Minister Quoted

First Minister Rt.hon Rohdri Morgan recently spoke about RYAG's new HUB, we are so proud of his comments we wanted to post them on our blog...

the First Minister said:

“The combination of housing, training and other services at the Hub will make it a central focus for regeneration in Rhyl and is a reflection of what can be achieved when a number of partners work together towards a shared goal.

It is important that we recognise and celebrate the achievements of the people that are here today, as they are living examples of the work that is being done through the Assembly Government and the commitment of local communities to improve their own situations.

This is a vital area for Wales. We have a relatively high proportion of our population living in deprived communities, economic inactivity rates that are higher than the UK average. Tackling these issues requires an integration of Assembly Government policies and programmes and the non-devolved policies and programmes of the UK Government, principally the Department for Work and Pensions.

While employment policy is not devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government, it is our aim to ensure that the UK-wide programmes run by the DWP, such as the City Strategy complement our own economic and social policies, so that there is an effective interface between devolved and non-devolved services in Wales. The Hub is a manifestation of this goal.”

Youth Cafe redevelopment

The Youth Cafe has recently had a number of changes made thanks to support from the Welsh Assembly Government and Rhyl Town Council. New features include a baby changing facility, new accessible toilets, a fully accessible kitchen area and food preparation equipment to prepare healthy meals. Also two of our Computers have accessible interfaces and within the next 8 weeks we hope to purchase a hearing loop system and tactile signage.

Finally with support from Mentyr Iiath we have redeveloped our Website to have a full Welsh Translation and all of the health and Safety signage in the premises is steadily being replaced with bilingual signage.

We would welcome any feedback for further changes; please email us with your ideas. We cant promise to do everything but we will undertake all financially feasible works.

Infoshop grows

Rhyl Info signed up its 200th member this week and has already had over 600 visits since opening, unfortunatkly the infoshop is only open during the evenings and on a satuday but RYAG is working to secure additioanl staff hours to increase this form of engagement.

If your looking for info, 11 - 25 then just drop in or call

0800 232 1230

Reaching Heights Fund Approved

Rhyl City Strategy & RYAG partnered together to bid into the ReachingHeights Fund, administered by Arts Council Wales to provide 50 young people at risk of becoming NEETS or currently NEETS with a photomission experience.

Reaching Heights has two parts of funding as part of the programme.
This bid was to the First Footholds element which focuses on those who are most at risk of leaving school andbecoming economically inactive. The first stage of the bid has been accepted. Furtherinformation was asked for and we now await the terms and conditions. Once this is finalisedthe photomission will begin.Photomission is engagement through media involving ‘missions’ being sent via text to theparticipants who respond using photographs. The material is then collected in and the mostinventive selected. Those who took the pictures then explain their choices and a short filmis created using the pictures and audio descriptions in order to be exhibited. Five groups willbe given this opportunity; two groups of ten 11 – 13yr olds and three groups of 14 – 19yrs.

From this the young people involved will be given further opportunities to get involved withdigital media as the material will be used as part of the raw material being gathered for afeature film about The Reso.

If you know any young people who may be interested contact Jennie Walker 01745 343605 or email Jennifer.walker@rhylcitystrategy.co.uk

RYAG Appartments amongst best in North Wales

The new Appartments built for young people from Rhyl at our HUB are ready for the first tennants to move in. Last week North Wales Energy Assessors conducted Eneregy Performance Tests on the 3 properties and produced EPC scores of over 82. From a 92 maximum score, 82 is extreamly efficient compaired to the average score for properties in the UK of only 46; and in North Wales a considerably lower average score than the UK average.

John Hearn (DipHI) recently commented "The report writing system automatically generates any recommendations for improvements. The fact that it hasn’t made any is testimony to how efficient you’ve made them."

Lets hope other lanlords follow this example!

the HUB DVD now online

The HUB DVD which was showcased at our offical opening is now online on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ADJCeEiIg

Infoshop ready

The infoshp is opening this week!!! the infoshop is a young persons information service run by trained youth information workers and forms part of the national youth information service from Canllaw Online.


we offer the following free services to young people aged 11 - 25:

Internet / Computer Access
Printing
Photocopying
Telephone
Leaflets
Private Room for Talks
Jobs Board
Books, Magazines, and Newspapers.

As well as specialist agency drop-ins that will start in September.

Our services are confidential and impartial.

We won't tell you what to do! We explore the options with you and support you in making an informed chioce.

Regeneration Minister visit

Leighton Andrews, Deputy Minister for Regeneration made his second visit to RYAG this month...while visiting Rhyl to view the progress of the new SRA (Strategic Regeneration Area).
It fair to say the minister was impressed with the transformation and looks forward to seeing phase 2 when completed.

HUB Opening

First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Jane Hutt Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills attending the launch of the HUB on Friday 17th July 2009.
With over 90 guests attending and the premier of the HUB DVD the event wasnt spoiled by Rhyl's amazing weather.

As the picture below shows the cake cut by the First Minister, Wynne and Aldo to celebrate the opening! it didnt last long though!!


There are SO MANY people we need to thank for all their support! each are named on the credits of our DVD, and a special thank you to the Rhyl City Startegy and JCCPM!

FANTASTIC!!!

Investors in People & Basic Skills Pledge

Working with the Welsh Assembly Government and Pam Niel, RYAG have implimented a development process that will ensure the groups meets the quality standards for Investors in People and the employer basic skills pledge.

The group is also working hard to ensure that our policies, procedures and practices are ready for inspection for IIV (Investors in Volunteers).

Gardening @ Harlech

19 staff and young people from RYAG, Armed with RYAG's gardening equipment attacked the overgrown grounds at Coleg Harlech this month. RYAG run short independant living skills courses at the WEA'S Crown Lodge every few months for groups of upto 20 young people at a time who attend our YouthCafe or YouthBank.

BBC funding for our YouthCafe

The Rhyl Youth Cafe has been awarded almost £70,000.00 to continue and expand into the distant future. With this substantial award RYAG is looking good to open 6 days a week for an indefinite period based on income projections produced.
The Youth Cafe will re-open its doors this month following a temporary closure for renovation works which have included a new IT suite, new Kitchen, Baby changing facility and accessible toilets all being built.

C U @ Youth Cafe !!!!!

Communities First Fun Run

RYAG runners made a tremendous impact on SW Rhyl Communities First Fun Run on Sunday. Dean Davies took 1st place for the young people and William Davies came a close second. In the adults race Wynne Randles came second out of the males. Out of over 50 runners young and old, Dean came overall 2nd, William 3rd and Wynne 6th. The members of RYAG would now like to start a keep fit/running club and will be surveying members soon.

RYAG visit the First Minister

Ann Jones (AM)today welcomed Rhyl Youth Action Group to the Welsh Assembly to present First Minister Rhodri Morgan with ‘Rhyl’s Revival’, a film made by the group showing the positive side of life in Rhyl. This film forms part of the ‘No Frills’ report produced by RYAG.

Young people and staff had a 45 minute audience with the First Minister and spent time meeting Huw Lewis who leads on the Child Poverty Agenda for Wales.

Temporary Closure

The Youth Cafe will be closed for around two weeks, we apologise to EVERY YOUNG PERSON who attends for this disruption and the inconvenience it may cause.
We are aware this is our core programme and the programme you participate in most, again we are very sorry!!!
The reason for the closure is due to reconstruction works and essential maintenance to ensure the facility is as safe and enjoyable as possible for you!!!
While this is happening our staff are working every night developing new policies, procedures, improving monitoring and undertaking further training for the Youth Cafe, this is something that helps with the background work you don’t often get to see happening when the Cafe is open, but it’s something we have to do to show the people who fund us what we are doing well and help us learn from what we don’t do so well.
WE ARE REALLY SORRY FOR DISRUPTING YOUR EVENINGS, BUT WE WILL OPEN AGAIN SOON!!!
If you need to talk to a member of RYAG staff you can still email, phone or text us, or drop into the new building next door between 5pm and 8pm.
If you can’t get hold of us or need to talk to someone confidentially you can call organisations such as childline 0800 11 11 they will answer 24hours a day.

Just @sk 4 a txt

As Part of RYAG's new Information Service for Young People in Rhyl, just @sk for a txt will be launched towards the end of March.

Just @sk.. 4 a Txt is a new free text alert service for young people. Once registered, young people will receive regular alerts about events and activities for young people in Rhyl. To sign up just email justask@ryag.org.uk or call in to the Just @sk InfoShop at the HUB on Wellington Road from April.

Organisations in working with YP in Rhyl will also be able to once a month ask RYAG to send a text message to upto 750 young people on our list following a short vetting procedure.

Just @sk 4 a Txt will form part of a number of just @sk schemes we plan to deliver in a phased approach over the next 12 months including:

Just @sk about Jobs
Just @sk about Training
Just @ask about Grants
Just @sk about Counselling
Just @sk about the Law
Just @sk about Multimedia

Other Just @sk's are currently being looked into around every area of extending entitlement.

JUST @SK US!!!!!

Volunteers wanted!

Are you a qualified youth or community worker, social worker, health worker and want to work with a group like RYAG.

We are currently looking for qualified volunteers to support our Youth Cafe programme.

With the recent swell in numbers of over 50 young people per night visiting our capacity is being streched! if you have some free time during the evenings please contact Wynne Randles for more information.

Please be aware that all volunteers must complete an enhanced CRB and ISA checks, Dependant on current qualifications you may also be asked to undertake further training at RYAG's cost in Child Protection & Safeguarding, Health & Safety, Food Hygiene, Risk Management, Personal Safety, Youth Work and First Aid as a condition of the post.

Whats on the Menu @ Youth Cafe

RYAG have been awarded funding from the Welsh Assembly Governments Department for Public Health and Health Professions to enhance the facilities in the Rhyl Youth Cafe and promote health eating further.
From April 2009 healthy eating sessions will be run twice a week!!

In a brand newly built community kitchen area sessions for up to 12 young people will now have access to a host of new equipment including Kitchen utensils / crockery, smoothie makers, low fat grills, combi oven / baby bellings a Jacket Potato machine
and much more.

With qualified nutrition workers onsite young people will be able to budget, plan and prepare meals for themselves and their peers better than Jamie Oliver himself, well maybe!!!

New funds from Comic Relief

RYAG are pleased to announce that almost £100,000.00 has been awarded to launch an Alcohol intervention programme in Rhyl for up to 50 young people per year over the next three years.
Diversionary activities, educational opportunities and support will be offered to young people at risk of underage drinking and alcohol abuse in an attempt to kerb social street drinking and decrease anti social behaviour involving under 18's in the town.

Engineering @ RYAG

RYAG and the WEA are to pilot a new introduction to engineer programme for young people in Rhyl.
The six week programme culminating in a weekend residential at the WEA Coleg Harlech campus will involve basic skills training alongside a fun introduction to engineering. Those involved will participate in bridge building from scrap wood, designing and creating miniature buildings from paper and office supplies, designing and assembling egg throwing machines, writing and running basic software and using digital media and web development software to monitoring , evaluate and display their work.
It’s hoped the programme will encourage young people to become energised about engineering, science and mathematics when returning to school or informal education.
The pilot will be run for 30 young people who are involved in other RYAG programmes on a voluntary basis.
Leonardo da Vinci quoted “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”

More Litter Picks

RYAG, North Wales Police & Denbighshire County Council will be on the streets again during half term.
Following the No Frills Consultation the three groups have undertaken a number of cleanup days around Rhyl as a temporary measure to help the town look cleaner.

During Feb Half term. The first cleanup is to take place at West Kinmel St car park (TBC) and the second on Rhydwen Drive, from 10am to around 2pm.

Over 60 young people who attend the Youth Cafe have already volunteered to participate in the event.

Funding is currently been sought between RYAG, North Wales Police and North Wales Fire Service to begin a 2 year programme of weekend cleanups focusing on individual streets which will also incorporate the placing of up to 3 skips on each street for 24 hours allowing residents to clear their gardens of materials which could possible find itself in ally's or communal areas.

No Frills Consultation Online

RYAG's "No Frills" consultation document is now available to download from ourwebsite.


Click the link below to download

DOWNLOAD FILE


The feedback report for actions taken on the consultation will be produced in May.

New look approved for the Youth Cafe

RYAG's YouthCafe redevelopment plans have had both planning permission and building regulations confirmed.
The company hopes to begin reconstruction works in 2009.

Rhyl's Revival DVD

watch the full Rhyl's Revival DVD online...





Thanks to Ryan for posting a copy of the film!

got a question? JUST @SK

RYAG are moving closer to developing the first accredited information service in Rhyl with funding from the Childrens and Young Peoples partnership.

We will aim to deliver a town centre based open access information centre for young people aged 10 – 25 who live in the local area. Typical Info-shops across Wales offer printed, electronic, visual and verbal information on Education, Health, Work and Training, Housing, Environment, Law and Rights, Europe, Money, Family and Relationships, Sport, Leisure and more.

We intend to emulate what has worked well in other areas of Wales here in Rhyl. The Rhyl Info shop would have a trained Social Worker, Nurse, Councillor, Youth and Community workers, and experienced advice & guidance practitioners onsite during peak opening times. We plan to open the facility 4 evenings per week as an initial trial, and increase this to 6 evenings in the future, running an open door policy for the first 3 hours of the evening with group sessions or training events and workshops during the final few hours.
We have identified the need for this facility through a range of measures including: Local knowledge reflects that there is NO similar provision anywhere in Rhyl, and all other current information provisions within the town are not open at those times we propose to be. The accessing of vital Info shop services outside of daytime office hours is absolutely vital to the engagement of young people in general, and excluded, disaffected young people in particular. We believe very strongly that delivery mechanisms must be built around the needs of young people themselves.

At RYAG we place a very strong emphasis on youth participation, and we have a strong membership base. Consequently many issues get raised with our workers, and through our youth committee which gives us a sound grounding in the issues facing young people in Rhyl, and their ideas for practical measures that will make a difference to the lives of young people. Working with Rhyl Going Forward, we interviewed 800 young people in Rhyl about what they wanted to see improved in the town. We then further worked with 90 young people in our Youth Café on the findings of the initial consultation. A full report has been prepared by our group and recently released.

We have a very extensive range of partnerships crossing the community, voluntary and statutory sectors. Our communication lines are very open and we regularly receive information from a wide variety of organizations working with young people across Rhyl.

Canllaw Online; who kitemark infoshops exists to develop and support information services for young people in Wales. One of the central aims of our work is to improve access to quality information and advice services for young people. The Canllaw Online QM indicates to young people that they can rely on being given a quality assured service with regards to their information needs and other help and support that they may require.

RYAG is extreamly keen for other groups working with young people to use this facility with us during our opening times, and also to open the facility for thier own use when it would be closed. If you work with young people; or need a new and improved way of getting your service to young people; then please get in touch with us to discuss how we can work together.

All Roads lead to RYAG!

Denbighshire County Council have started work to the corner of Elwy Street and Wellington Road outside our premises.

The works are expected to last 7 weeks, the attached image shows how the new road layout and trafic controls will be when works are finished.

The attached document does not show it; but railings will be placed between the two crossing points outside the Youth Cafe to prevent young people running out into the road.

New Money, UDecide

RYAG and Denbighshire Local Service Board have each contributed £3000 to the first Participatory Budgeting project to take place in Rhyl called UDecide.
With South West Rhyl Communities First, the PB unit and other partners we hope to see grants of up to £750 awarded to local projects.

RYAG XL Programme

RYAG has began running a Princes Trust XL programme from the Youth Cafe, the one day a week pilot working with 15 young people is set to progress into a fulltime community education programme for young people who are excluded from or disengaged with mainstream education later in the year.

In a growing number of schools and non-mainstream centres across the UK, xl clubs target young people facing difficulties in education and work with them on a personal development curriculum that promotes achievement and encourages success. Deliberately informal, xl clubs seek to re-engage and motivate young people. xl club members learn to take responsibility, develop social skills and enjoy the benefits of teamwork.

The 6 main curriculum areas of the xl programme are:

1. Personal, interpersonal and team skills
2. Citizenship and community awareness
3. A community based project
4. A residential activity
5. Entrepreneurship and enterprise
6. Preparation for the world of work/training

The RYAG XL club (yet to be named) will also encorperate a number of NOCN course's that young people can choose to participate in with the support of the WEA / Coleg Harlech

RYAG membership hits 1000

When RYAG was established in the last few months of 2003, a group of just 7 young people signed up to the then constitution that created the Rhyl Youth Action Group (RYAG). Shortly after with some careful negotiations the group secured use of a residents building on Abbey St; for 2 hours per night every Friday these young people helped mould what was to become the Youth Cafe.

Almost 5 years on and the group owns 5 buildings and runs a host of programmes for local young people from social and leisure activities to accredited training and work experience placements.

And importantly RYAG has; as of Friday 24th of January 2009 signed up 1000 members between the previous unincorporated body and RYAG limited as it stands today, with an estimated 1700 plus young people being engaged in some way via our programmes.

Since the incorperation of RYAG limited in October 2007 the companies members has already grown to almost 170 members, so if your a young person who is involved in any of our programmes and you would like to become a member of the company please speak to a member of staff about what is involved!!!

Thanks to every young person who has engaged with the group!!! And let’s keep reaching out to the future generations to come.

Film award for Rhyl's Revival

Zoom Young People’s Film Awards 2009

Rhyl Youth Action Group's "Rhyl's Revival" DVD has won first place as part of the prestigious international young peoples film festival.
The Film won best documentary for 2009 and the award was collected by RYAG members; Amy, Ryan and Sarah along with Nathan Evans from Anytime Films.

The film was produced by young members of Rhyl Youth Action Group (RYAG), with help and guidance from Anytime Films. It was scripted, shot, voiced and edited entirely by the young people who worked incredibly hard on the film, and was designed to counter some of the negative press Rhyl has been getting recently. The Youth Cafe is just one of many developed locations in Rhyl which were chosen by the young crew to feature in the film. Overall this demonstrated that there are still loads of nice places to visit, for locals and tourists alike.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make the film!!!

More information, pictures and a low quality copy of the film will follow shortly...

have YOU realised Gwireddu ?

The Realisegwireddu.com campaign starts here!
If you want to ensure the future of digilabs in Wales and maybe further, please support this campaign. Canllaw Online, the Wales wide information services for young people charity is seeking to demonstrate the demand for and success of digilabs by establishing an on and offline campaign.
At a time of global economic downturn, the message is simple Credu has to date established 100+ digilabs across Wales that, through a unique programme that has involved the private, public and voluntary sector, has enabled the youth sector in Wales to be enhanced by ICT transformation. The successes that digilab hosts have facilitated for Wales are over 400 jobs being created and over 45,000 young people being positively engaged through numerous ICT initiatives enabled by the Credu digilab and portal presence. The portal alone has received nearly 8,000,000 hits. The societal and economic gains for Wales being immense.


Gwireddu promises to achieve even more!
We seem to have the support of politicians, we have the buy in of young people and those who support them, the public and private sector, so it should be possible for this campaign to succeed.
Our campaign will be the first campaign of its kind in Wales which utilises state of the art technologies and demonstrates their use and participation by young people, their supporters and wider communities. Great people of our time have illustrated how change can happen - let ′s demonstrate how ICT transformation can happen here in Wales in a positive, participatory, educational and fun way.

RYAG are asking everyone who supports this campaign to visit the realise gwireddu website and get involved as much as possible!!!

www.realisegwireddu.com

Welcome to RYAG

Something new for 2009, the Rhyl Youth Action Group blog will allow RYAG to update its members and the wider interested community on the current events and future plans of the company.

It is hoped that updates will follow weekly; we hope you find this a useful tool for keeping upto date with RYAG's activities.

Thanks for visiting, and come again soon...

Shane