Member Profile: The Beck, a new service for 13 to 19s in East Leeds
14 July, 2010
The Beck was launched in October 2009 with funding from the Youth Sector Development Fund, phase 2. The service works with 13 - 19 year olds in East Leeds, which is classed as an area of high deprivation.
The wide range of services and activities, all delivered by trained and qualified staff, include physical and sexual health, drugs and alcohol advice, mediation and conflict resolution, healthy relationships, careers advice and guidance and counselling and girls groups.
Supporting those at greatest risk
The project’s aim is to offer positive activities and intensive support to young people considered to be at the greatest risk of involvement with crime, anti-social behaviour, substance abuse, domestic violence and sexual exploitation. The project also works towards reducing the numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
A small off-site education unit based in the city centre, delivers a personal development curriculum, targeting years 10 and 11. Young people are offered an individual support worker who will continue to work with them for as long as is necessary, or until they reach 19. This is now an accredited OCN centre and will be offering Step-up modules to the young people attending the education unit.
One to one support: settings in the community
The Beck's services also include intensive one-to-one support to enable young people to remain or get back into education, and to access employment, training and education post 16. The team work both at the centre, and from a range of community settings like schools, and colleges, and in partnership with other organisations like Connexions and the Youth Offending Service, offering single or multiple modules from our health and well-being programme.
Including young people in sports
In a great example of partnership working and joined up thinking, the Beck have teamed up with Sports Unltd and Streetgames to deliver sporting activities to young people, who may never normally get involved in sports. There’s something for everyone with gym and swim, circuits, football, multisports (girls) and self defence.
As the Beck’s Director Sally Hoy explains, a multi-sports approach works better with many girls with many preferring this to competitive sports.
Over the summer, year 11 leavers with no identified positive destination can take part in sporting activities and sessions on sexual health, personal safety, and equality and diversity. Each young person will be allocated an individual support worker who will continue to work with them to ensure progression after the programme.
The future for the Beck
The funding ends in March 2011, but the team hope to be able to secure funds to continue this much needed work, despite the current economic climate.
Support from Youth Access
Sally Hoy, Project Manager of the Beck, and formerly of Archway, says “We have been a member of Youth Access for nearly 10 year and have found them to be very well-informed and current on a range of subjects, as well as being very supportive when asked for help regarding delivery of our advice service. We have found their training of a high quality and are regular attenders at their residential co-ordinators meetings.”
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