Following a successful pilot of youthwork services in Dursley at the beginning of 2015, The Door secured a two year contract with Dursley Town and Cam Parish Councils. September 2015 marked the beginning of this contract; with four youthwork sessions being delivered weekly in Dursley’s Vibe Youth Centre, and two sessions per week delivered in Cam’s Youth & Community Centre.
Replicating the same model as our Stroud Drop-in, we are providing a safe space for young people aged 11-17 to gain advice, support and informal education. In these environments we are able to build good relationships with young people either by partaking in recreational activities with them, or by being non-judgemental role models, willing to engage. We also provide 1-2-1 support to young people aged 16-25 offering advice and guidance with Education and Employment, Budgeting, Raising Aspirations, Health and Wellbeing, Housing and Homelessness.
On Monday evenings our youth team can also be seen patrolling the streets of Dursley; delivering detached youthwork and engaging with young people in their regular hangout spots. Detached work aims to provide diversionary activities that are empowering and enabling, therefore helping to develop positive attitudes and actions in all young people.
The services provided by The Door in Cam & Dursley are not limited to youthwork sessions alone, as we strive to deliver a package of services to the area. Understanding the need of some young people and their parents to seek help and support during a personal or family crisis, we provide a range of intervention programmes including One to One Mentoring and Parent Support Sessions.
In 2016 we are looking to further develop relationships within the community, and with other service providers in the area. Having already begun working closely with Rednock School, paying regular visits to provide additional support to young people, we have been able to work with the school by encouraging pupils to make the most of our facilities by accessing revision schemes. We will look to provide study leave revision sessions to year 11 pupils as they approach their GCSE exams.