youth action teams
What is a Youth Action Team?
A YAT is simply a group of young people (2+, aged 16-25) who have an idea of something they'd like to do to benefit their community, and who have the energy and commitment to make it happen...
It must be
- new
- youth-led (ideas, organisation, action coming from the young people, although it's often useful to have a worker from an associated organisation around as well to keep things ticking along)
- self-sustaining (ie the idea is for the project to continue for some time - it's not just a one-off event - and the original volunteers will recruit their friends and peers to get involved to bring in new energy and people power)
The local Youth Volunteer Advisor will meet with the group to discuss initital ideas, facilitate first meeting(s), and sometimes give a start-up grant (dependent on costed proposal, and the vinvolved team's budget!) They will also register volunteers and help them get v awards (as for 'normal' volunteers)
There are lots of YATs already set up around Oxfordshire, including
- allotment projects - where in addition to good old physcial graft and learning about nature, YAT members sell the produce (raising money for their associated charities) and teach people to cook it in healthy living courses. See one example here
- Urban Music Foundation - Blackbird Leys group using rap to educate peers about knife crime (and teach them how to make and record lyrics / music themselves) - see UMF info pack
- first aid peer educators (with Red Cross initial input) - see their brillinat presentation here
- primary schools - international students talking to children about their home cultures
- Style on the Streets - planning a recycled fashion catwalk to raise money and awareness for local homeless charities
- football league - young people's housing project, training service users to coach and referee football to allow disadvantaged young people to play in a league
- Winter Ball - putting on a large ball to celebrate young volunteers' brilliant contriubtions in the last year!
Possibilities are endless - if you have an idea, please get in touch to discuss, or fill in and return a YAT application form
