All Saints’ Church is very excited to announce that subject to funding, from January 2023 there will be a weekly Youth Café in the Parish Hall run in partnership with 4Youth (SW).
Some instances of anti social behaviour in All Saints’ and the churchyard over the past year have made us aware of the difficulties some young people face and the lack facilities for them.
We have been talking to a number of agencies including Wiltshire Police, Youth4Christ, Wiltshire Council, 4Youth (SW) and the Diocese of Salisbury to find some solutions and ways of supporting the young people of Westbury.
4Youth
4Youth has been running a detached youth service in Westbury for more than two years. They meet with young people on the streets of Westbury and build up relationships. They offer advice and support. In their discussions the young people told 4Youth that they would love to have a safe space indoors. We saw that we could meet this need by using the Parish Hall for this purpose.
After discussions we will be trialling a Youth Café in the Parish Hall on Friday evenings in partnership with 4Youth (SW). This will be for an initial 3 month period. If it goes well we hope to extend for a full year.
Youth Café
We are currently working with 4Youth on the details and going through safeguarding and ensuring all the policies and procedures are in place.
The sessions will include hot food as many young people are not getting hot food at home. There will be games and activities and a listening ear from the youth workers and volunteers from our congregation.
We will be seeking donations for the food from local businesses. We are applying for funds to support the cost of the youth worker and other expenses.
The Youth Café will take place on Friday evenings.
Parish Hall Transformation
We aim to transform our parish hall into a modern facility fit for the 21st century. We are seeking new partners to support our vision as we work towards securing funding for the work. We hope that this new partnership with 4Youth will develop into a long term relationship.
How can you help?
We are looking for volunteers to support the project. They will be responsible for opening up and closing up of the hall and serving the food. The professional youth workers supplied by 4Youth will be responsible for the activities and working with the young people. No experience of youth work is needed.
You don’t need to be a member of All Saints’ Church to volunteer. Any one can help subject to safeguarding procedures.
We are also seeking donations to support this work as there will be costs for the staff, food and other expenses. If you would like to make a donation you can make a donation online here
If you would like to find out more please contact Beth Thomas on [email protected] or 07790 870 247
Keep up to date
We are exploring a number of options for the year ahead. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter to keep up to date with progress.