This in from Ray on behalf of the Footprint Trust. Ed
At these informal events visitors can see the different things that young people have made, and see the other facilities on offer, such as free WiFi, and cheap drinks and snacks. The Newport trend cafe offers young people, over the age of 11, a safe place to go after school or college.
Open days
The cafe’s open days are;
10am to 4pm on Wednesdays on 22nd and 29th July, 19th and 26th August
Open evenings are;
6pm to 8pm on Tuesday 18th and Thursday 20th August
Trend Upcycling cafe
Since opening six months ago some 300 young people have visited the trend Upcycling cafe. Some just want to sit and chat, others do their homework, many want to take part in the Upcycling craft activities.
Students from Carisbrooke College created a mural, whilst others have made artistic items to take home or decorate the cafe.
To date over a tonne of waste has been turned into useful and fun things, including hedgehogs made from old damaged paperback books, which have proved to be a hit on twitter!
Where to find us
The trend youth cafe can be found 30 High Street Newport, Isle of Wight, and is open every weekday during term time, from 3.30pm to 6pm.
It’s situated opposite the Guildhall and 02 shop. You can call them on 01983 716766.
Youth Offer
The Footprint Trust has been awarded funding by the Isle of Wight Council’s Youth Offer, over a three-year period, to run the trend project. The Trust was set up in 2002 to reduce the ‘ecological footprint’ of the Isle of Wight, and achieves this by running practical projects, that help people and the local environment.
The charity was recently was given the Queen’s Award for Voluntary service due to its service to the Isle of Wight community.
Positive outcomes
As part of our work staff and volunteers at trend listen and work with the young people. These are some of the positive things which have also happened.
Two teenage friends visit Trend regularly, using the materials available to junk model and engage in play activities, while chatting about their day with staff and each other. Although they sometimes take the work they create home with them, the end result is less important to them than the opportunity to express themselves and have some fun prior to going home.
Help with CV
One young man regularly drops into Trend after school. One afternoon, he came in later than usual, complaining that his feet hurt as he’d been walking round town trying to find a part-time job. He was very disheartened and said that he hadn’t known what to say when he was asked for his CV.
Staff suggested he look on the Internet and helped with the search. They talked about what he had done that could be included on his CV. They also looked at Websites explaining the opportunities for employment for young people and suggested visiting smaller, independent businesses rather than the larger chains.
When he left, he had a plan for his job-hunting and was optimistic that he would find a part time job.
Work experience
Two students recently spent a week on work experience placement in Trend. They learnt skills and gained confidence, which will help them in future life.
Three young people who regularly attend trend and enjoy making things, asked for guidance on creating a model slum village, for a school geography project. Two members of staff had visited developing countries and had witnessed at first hand such places.
It was also pointed out to them that people in the UK and the IW also sometimes live in slums. We were able to provide them with scrap materials and some ideas on how to create their model.
“Trend is a positive thing that young people can do, we hope you will call in and find out more…” Said Rachel Brown, the lead worker at Trend.
Connect
You can find out more about the project on the Footprint Trust Website and follow them on twitter.com/trendIW or phone 01983 716766.
To find out about all the Youth Offer projects visit Facebook
