In the last year, across Cambridge city and areas of South Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Romsey Mill’s Youth Development Team has supported 1,622 young people; 658 of whom our youth workers engaged with at least twice a week.

The Youth Development Team also provided one-to-one support for 139 young people.

This aspect of our work has been particularly significant in our work to the north of Cambridge, which covers Arbury, Chesterton, Kings
Hedges and Orchard Park.

Reflecting on the past year, our Lead Youth Development Worker for north Cambridge, Mark Stanyer says:

“We have seen a significant increase in our one-to-one work alongside local young people. Some of this work has been generated through referrals from local secondary schools, due to the high incidence of young people with mental health concerns, or who are school-refusing or at risk of exclusion.

Within our wider work in the community, we have provided one-to-one support for some of our older young people, who have faced the prospect of being homeless. We have helped them find both emergency and long-term accommodation, as well as providing them with food and mental health support.

We have also been able to provide one-to-one and small group support for many young people who live in north Cambridge, following the tragic death, last November, of one of the young people we have worked alongside.

Because of the trust that we have built up within the community, over many years, we were able to be alongside these young people, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and listen to them and help them process their emotions as this naturally caused an outpouring of grief, anger and also desire for retribution.

Through this time, we have also helped five of our young people become young leaders, with two of them taking our Level 2 Youth work Qualification with Romsey Mill.”

Yasmin Tyler, Youth Development Worker in north Cambridge, has developed a project to support young women.

She says:

“In response to needs we identified locally, we created a new girls’ group called Wellbeing of Women (WOW), partnering with local councils.

We set up a boxing skills project with the girls, and provided sexual health and relationships support, which has
helped the girls to feel more empowered, confident and safe."

 

Ellie Harnwell, Pavilion (Inclusion Unit) Manager, Chesterton Community College, has said of Mark and Yasmin's support for young people:

"Mark and Yasmin have regularly supported us in our inclusive provision setting. It is clear that their involvement increases the self-esteem of students and makes them feel valued and heard. Mark and Yasmin have also provided further opportunities both in and out of curriculum time for vulnerable students to develop their confidence and offer them opportunities to grow personally and in a vocational context."