The Isle of Wight could become a ‘safe haven’ through proactive youth work, including sports and other activities.
Julian Wadsworth MBE spoke to Shanklin Town Council last week about the resilience role he and his team play in the Bay area, helping young people change their ways.
Early intervention and prevention
The team’s focus is early intervention and prevention, getting young people to show respect in the community; involved in positive activities and, where possible, back into education.
As a part of Community Action Isle of Wight, Mr Wadsworth is the youth intervention development officer and has been helping the Bay sort pockets of trouble in the last two years.
Contributions from town councils
Shanklin Town Council has this year given £10,000 to fund Mr Wadsworth’s work along with contributions from Lake Parish Council and Sandown Town Council.
In the past three months, the team received funding from the Ministry of Justice to intensively work with young people who were at risk of being excluded from school; involved in anti-social behaviour; low-level criminal activity; or exploitation.
In top ten per cent for positive outcomes
Mr Wadsworth said they had already received positive feedback from the MOJ over the project and its outcomes.
The scheme in the Bay had 15 youths complete the programme — with an average age of 13 — and involved workers visiting them at home and in the community, setting up training and education around risks affecting young people.
Anxious, angry and with additional learning needs not being met
In the last year, he said the local policing team reduced anti-social behaviour across the Bay but the problem he saw was if youths were coming through the system anxious, angry and with additional learning needs not being met, the chances are they will end up involved in risk-taking behaviours.
Mr Wadsworth said peer-on-peer youth violence, exploitation and drug-related harm can be stopped through communication and collaboration but it was still complex and more could be done.
Wadsworth: We need to start working together
Mr Wadsworth said,
“If we don’t start working together, we are going to continue to have problems that will affect all our communities.”
He said his ambition is to make the Island a safe haven and working with the Island’s Youth Forum had shed light on young people’s concerns and feelings.
He and his team run sporting sessions — including boxing and golf— to engage youths, and will in the future, teach employability skills to help in the world of work.
Article edit
11am 11th Apr 2022 – Various minor tweaks made upon request to LDR from JW
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Amir Hosseini under CC BY 2.0
