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:
Picnic In The Park 2023
Last Saturday we held our very first ‘Picnic in the Park’ and what a day it was! Nearly 4,000 North Tyneside locals passed through the newly refurbished Northumberland Square on the day and joined in our festivities. We couldn't have asked for a better way to...
Sage-ing in our Allotment
Our North Shields community allotment has never looked better thanks to the amazing staff from Sage who have volunteered their time not once, but a few times now, to help us clear and revamp the space! We cannot express how grateful we are for their hard work and...
Getting Quizzy With It
Last Friday night we held our first-ever successful Quiz Night fundraiser in Cafe 1879! Thanks to the participation and support of over 45 members of the community, we raised enough money from the ticket sales and raffle held on the night to fund three more community...
Fender Comes Around
Last Sunday we welcomed the cast and crew of Liam Fender’s new music video - Time Comes Around, into Cafe 1879. It was an honour to see our cafe so vibrant and Bedford Street become home to obscure sights, Shields’ finest, and lots of passers-by looking confused. It...
The Journey Begins
After leaving school in 2021, I started at YMCA North Tyneside as an HR Apprentice. I loved the idea of working for a charity and making a difference in my local community but at the time I didn’t even realise the amount of extraordinary work YMCA do in our local area...