Explore

A range of projects and programmes that explore issues affecting young people, their relationships and their communities

Workshops

Purpose

A range of one-day workshops designed to address specific issues that affect young people such as relationships, accessing information, and managing feelings and emotions. These events can be tailored to suit most groups of young people.

Format

Each workshop caters for groups of 6 to 12 young people and exists as a stand-alone event. Experienced trainers lead the workshops with additional support from trained volunteers. The agenda is set by the young people in order to address their specific needs, abilities and interests. There are currently four workshops available, as described below:

Outcomes

“Get a Grip!” addresses the benefits of being aware and in control of your emotions and looks at methods of dealing with them and the impact that young people can have on their relationships with others by effective self-management.

“Life’s not Fair!” reflects on the difficult relationships that many young people have with people in authority and enables participants to practise their negotiation and influencing skills to better their chances of a positive response.

“It’s Getting Hot in Here!” allows young people to explore the important relationships in their lives and to discuss, in a fun and informative environment, issues of sex and sexual health.

“Is there Anybody Out There?” offers a practical and individually tailored approach to finding and accessing the confusing and diverse array of information, support and guidance services that are available in the local community.

Explore Residentials

Purpose

These events are specifically provided for those young people who either, having attended an Inspire Residential, have been identified as potentially benefiting from a further residential project, or those young people who are undertaking our Explore Volunteering course.

Format

Over a period of six days the young people attending these residential events will form teams, along with trained and experienced FOCUS volunteers, to undertake a series of challenging activities, workshops, training sessions and debates. Throughout the week each young person will receive one-to-one coaching and support from our trained volunteers, as well as giving and receiving feedback and support to their peers in group and one-to-one sessions.

These residential events are designed to provide a fun, safe and supportive environment in which all participants and volunteers can practise their skills and to take on new roles and responsibilities.

Outcomes

The young people attending this project who have been recruited from an Inspire Residential will benefit from the one-to-one support of experienced volunteers in further developing the skills, knowledge and attributes they have previously identified. They will increase in self-confidence and self-esteem as they take on challenges and set and work towards personal goals and targets. They will review their progress and celebrate their success throughout the event.

The young people attending as stage one of the Explore Volunteering course will practise and develop the skills, attributes and behaviours required of FOCUS volunteers and will explore their responsibilities during activities and exercises whilst supported by experienced volunteers.

Explore Volunteering

Purpose

This programme targets individual young people and people with a disability who, through their involvement in other FOCUS projects, have demonstrated the interest in, and an aptitude for volunteering. Through Explore Volunteering they will be trained and prepared to take on the role of volunteer either within FOCUS or for another voluntary organisation.

Format

Starting with a weeklong Explore Residential (see Page 9), the trainee volunteers will explore the various responsibilities of volunteers and will practice these in the safe environment of a project in which they are supported by their peers, experienced FOCUS volunteers and FOCUS staff. Following this event they will undertake a series of short courses that will prepare them for their role and help them to make the transition from programme participant to volunteer. This will include child protection, health & safety, group dynamics, facilitation and communication skills, leadership and the experiential learning cycle.

Throughout the course, and for a mutually agreed period beyond it, each trainee will be provided with a ‘training mentor’, an experienced volunteer who will provide support, guidance, feedback and coaching.

Young people undertaking the Explore Volunteering course will also be required to attend a formal interview, provide two referees and undergo a Criminal Record Bureau disclosure check in order to complete the course and to become fully-fledged volunteers.

Outcomes

This course provides a natural, yet highly challenging progression for young people who have attended other FOCUS projects to significantly develop their skills, self-confidence and self-esteem. For many young people it provides a first opportunity to take on a position of responsibility; it can greatly enhance the CV, and therefore the employability, of the trainees; and it can prove to be a hugely rewarding experience. The benefit to the organisations that these young people volunteer for is that they understand the impact that volunteers can have from their own personal experience.

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