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:
Featonby’s support homeless youngsters in North Tyneside
Since moving onto Bedford Street in North Shields earlier this year, the generosity of the team at Featonby's has helped YMCA North Tyneside refurbish and re-equip numerous flats for homeless young people at little or no cost. Donations generally include good quality...
YMCA Great North Run (2021)
Despite all of this, on the day we cheered on 10 fabulous participants who stepped up to the tracks and took the course by storm. We had a variety of seasoned runners to beginners, all with the aim to fundraise and make money for a great cause - YMCA! It was a delight...
Kickstarting employment for 16 to 24 year olds
As an organisation, we wanted to give those unemployed a potentially life changing opportunity to start a career in their industry which is why we created a variety of interesting and fulfilling roles that will help develop a wide range of skills and experience. We...
Case Study: The Trouble with Trevor
YMCA Teesdale has long played a vital role within its local community, and although the charity focuses on helping young people; given the demographics of Cockfield, the Teesdale branch also provides a number of activities for older generations too. One of these...
“Right Now” Fundraising Campaign
When the pandemic hit, not only did we close the majority of our business units such as YMCA Gym and The Estate, but all fundraising events were cancelled, almost bringing that support to a standstill. As a charity in need, we decided to look to our supporters for any...