January Networking Event

Thanks to everyone who came to our January networking event at Dragon CoWorking last Wednesday. The session was joined by Young Lives Foundation, Carers First, Medway Voluntary Action, Future Coders, Medway Council Youth Service and Sports Connect, as well as visitors from Lyrici Arts. Our Opportunities Marketplace heard from Medway Voluntary Action about the Power of Youth consultation about youth volunteering, as well as the Joy social prescribing app. Sports Connect spoke about work Post-16 work they are developing at the Anchorian’s Football Club site. Carers First shared about their role supporting young carers, including mentoring availability and what they have on offer for carers. Young Lives Foundation spoke about their work with care experienced young people. FutureCoders discussed projects that support young people’s learning about coding and developing skills in with new technology. Lyrici Arts shared information about upcoming theatre productions Belongings, which deals with the experiences and feelings of children not living with their birth families and Soul Food telling stories about family, about food, about love, about history and identity.

Following the Opportunities Marketplace, Roy from Medway Youth Service led a discussion on young people and resilience. This was recorded and analysed using Otter AI. Key points included the importance of coping mechanisms, understanding brain processes, and addressing underlying issues. Participants shared personal stories that highlighted the resilience of young people facing various challenges and traumas. The conversation emphasised the need for supportive environments, positive reinforcement, and co-production with young people. Participants stressed the importance of recognising young people's potential, providing safe spaces, and celebrating success stories. They also called for more positive media representation and professional approaches that consider cultural and individual perspectives.

Learning from the conversations highlights it is important for organisations working with young people to:

• Explore ways to involve young people more in co-producing initiatives and sharing their own stories.
• Seek opportunities to celebrate and share positive examples of young people's achievements.
• Consider looking at issues from different cultural and value-based perspectives when working with young people.

The detail and observations from these conversations will inform the Build Resilience training sessions from 3-5:30pm on the 5^th March. Please book a ticket on Eventbrite to learn more.

We are also partnering with Medway Council Youth Service to offer monthly training on everything youth work. All upcoming sessions can be booked here.