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Clapham Youth Centre would not be able to provide quality work for young people and the community if it were not for the help of volunteers.

We have a range of opportunities but the first thing we do expect from a volunteer is commitment and interest in working with or for young people and the community.

Read here an article from Claire Wiliiamson. She has volunteered with the CYC nearly a year. Now she is doing a course in Youth Work.

The Introduction to Youth Work Course was held over two days in Friends House, Euston and was run by London Youth. The aim of the course was to provide a good understanding of the meaning of youth work, it also gave me the opportunity to swap ideas with other youth club workers.

On the first day our trainer talked briefly about the history and growing importance of youth work over the past few decades. We were then asked to compile a short definition of ‘youth work’ – not an easy task! However our group managed to come up with the following statement. “Youth work is to inspire, support, motivate and educate young people to realise and achieve their goals/dreams in a safe environment whilst encouraging their individuality”. 

Following on from this the trainer highlighted how important it is that all youth work is educative, participative, empowering and provide equal opportunities. With all these ideas in mind we were asked to create an ideal youth worker. This produced an extensive list of skills and abilities and some interesting ‘super-hero’ drawings! The afternoon sessions expanded on the 4 main themes of youth work and in small groups we were asked how we could incorporate the themes in real-life situations.

The second day of the course concentrated on other important issues such as boundaries, child protection and health and safety. Again, in small groups we were asked to prepare strategies for real life situations, ensuring that we had a good practical knowledge of these subjects. The session was then closed by discussing the issue of child abuse, including the different types of abuse, tell-tale signs and what a youth worker should do if they believe abuse is happening. 

The course was a great introduction to youth work and I felt that I learnt a huge amount over the two days from both the trainer and the other people on the course. There are many things that I have taken away from the training which I will hopefully be able to implement during my time as a volunteer at CYC. A big thank to CYC, for finding the funding for me to go on this course.

 

 

The CYC is committed to safer Recruitment. All staff will be required to undergo Enhanced CRB checks.

Our current openings:

• Children and young people assistant youth leaders: sessional work and holiday projects
• Admin support
• Web design
• Publicity and PR officer
• Creche support workers

Information for volunteers:

• Assistant youth leader job description (PDF)
• Equal opportunities
• Volunteers form
• Information for volunteers (PDF)
• Ethnicity moniotirng form