A safe place

awinter — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:05:55 +0000

“I feel very safe and feel that nothing will happen to me in this placement”

A resident

Top Team at Greenbelt

awinter — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:28:51 +0000

“My favourite volunteer team for the last couple of days …. the (Coventry & Warwickshire) YMCA people are top of my list”

Sarah Goodman – Greenbelt blogger

Top Keyworker

awinter — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:25:10 +0000

“My keyworker is there for me when I need to talk about my problems”

A resident

Looking Forward

jwaters — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:06:21 +0000

“What an exciting new venture for our YMCA - it will be great to see the new website grow”
Jason Waters

matt’s new good news

testeditor — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:24:40 +0000

Coventry young people grill Prime Minister on economic future

mmartin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:31:57 +0000

Young people from Coventry were among a select group invited to a Q&A session with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Friday 13th February 2009. Among those present were a group from Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA including staff and young people who have benefitted from the organisation’s work.

The event was centred on the current economic crisis and the effects that the recession was having on local businesses and organisations in the Coventry and Warwickshire area.

Among the group was Michael Dobson, a voluntary youth worker and young leader at The Tooth, a YMCA youth activity centre in Coventry’s Willenhall area. Michael was able to ask the Prime Minister a question directly, who referred to Michael a “very enterprising young man”.

Michael’s question related to the training available to young people looking to enter work, and how these training schemes risked losing out as funding becomes more scarce in the current economic climate. After the main session, Michael caught up with the Prime Minister to discuss his point further.

Michael asked how the Prime Minister could support young people like him, who until recently had no job experience or qualifications, but through the work of the YMCA in Coventry he had received individually tailored support and training, which had resulted in him becoming an effective and respected young leader. With many people becoming unemployed in the current economic climate the help and support provided by organisations like the YMCA is becoming increasingly important.

Doreen Lennon, Chief Executive of Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA, also attended the event. She said, “We are very proud of the way our young people participated in the event. It is important the voices of young people are heard within all levels of government, all the way to the top.”