Over time, Grace would take all the anguish from her past and turn that negativity into something incredibly positive.
During the past 6 years that Grace has attended the Youth Project, her contributions have been the driving force behind a number of ventures within her local community.
One of her first ideas was to organise coffee and bingo mornings with the goal of bringing local people together while raising funds for St Vincent de Paul in Jarrow. This was a huge success, attracting over 70 people per session.
More recently Grace was inspired to begin campaigning for the regeneration of a local cemetery after being saddened by poorly kept grounds and overgrowing graves. She began writing funding bids and spoke passionately with the local council which resulted in a group of volunteers coming together every week and cleaning up the cemetery.

Having regular access to youth and play groups such as YMCA’s Youth project in partnership with Central Jarrow Big Local has helped shape Grace as a person, and from that, Grace is helping shape her local community for the better. Having a safe environment for young people to thrive in, that falls outside of everyday home and school life, is crucial. It allows them to grow as individuals and make their own choices which can result in a better, kinder world for all of us.
Read more of our case studies:
Halloween in Teesdale
Our community team successfully delivered the October half-term plan to our families across Teesdale without a hitch. The staff, volunteers, children and parents pulled together and created 3 spookily large puppets and some scarily good pumpkins, which were then...
Jarrow Animates LGBTQ+ Issues
Our popular Central Jarrow Detached Youth Project was successful in securing funds from the Violence Reduction Unit in a bid to create a short animated video on a subject they feel very passionate about…LGBTQ+. Many of the youth group’s participants identify as part...
The Start of Our Free Winter Community Meals
Last Wednesday saw the success of our first Winter Community Meal of the year, with over 19 people in attendance enjoying a big bowl of chilli, followed by cake and custard. The meal was kindly sponsored by Jacqui, owner of Children of the Revolution in Tynemouth who...
YWCA-YMCA Week of Prayer 2022
The 13 - 19th November is the World YWCA and World YMCA Week of Prayer. These sibling organisations, among other things, organise opportunities to unite their local associations around the world on important issues. In light of this week, Ian Pearson, shares a story...
YMCA Announces New Outdoor Space For Residents
YMCA recently celebrated the opening of a redeveloped outdoor space for the young people who live under our roof in North Shields. What was previously an unused and unloved space has undergone a major transformation and is now a vibrant and welcoming outdoor area for...