Greater Resilience for Vulnerable Girls
The Y’s Girls project addresses key issues faced by vulnerable young females aged 9 to 14 years of age. Volunteer mentors are identified from the local community and paired with young girls in need of a positive relationship with an adult.
Often the mentors have experienced similar issues to the girls they are developing a relationship with. For example; vulnerability to developing issues with emotional wellbeing, experience of disengagement at school, conflict in the home, engagement in antisocial behaviour or a lack of a positive adult role model.
With mentors’ support, the young people have participated in new activities such as; ice skating, swimming, gym sessions, yoga, trampolining, drawing, crafting, visiting museums and galleries and getting out and about in their local area to meet new people and experience new things.
During 2021-22 we made 21 successful matches between young girls and mentors, which led to 322 hours of interactions in just 6 months. All have made measurable success in their journey towards achieving their goals and the connections that have developed between the young girls and their wider families have been hugely encouraging.
Our volunteer mentors have also reported feeling more valued, more connected to their local community and have developed their skills and employability through their experiences in the project.
“Our young people have reported feeling more confident, more connected within their communities, with increased resilience and better equipped to deal with the challenges that life can bring”
If you’re interested in volunteering with YMCA please get in contact today.
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...