VISION DOCUMENT

Setting up the Phoenix Youth Project in the Carlisle Grounds

A unique project that will place young people at the core of an adventure that will stretch the boundaries of innovative youth work. We will explore collaboration opportunities with Bray

Wanderers and Ardmore Rovers while also capturing the combined essence of three well established and outstanding youth led groups,

Celtic Youth Bray, Be Well Bray and New Sound Youth Project

Phoenix Youth is a local organisation with a global mindset working with young people to create positive opportunities for growth and development through innovative and inspiring youth work experiences.

Youth Work in Ireland is defined as…“A planned programme of non formal education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young people through their voluntary involvement.”

Football provides an excellent opportunity to learn new skills, become more confident and maximise potential as members of teams and as individuals. Participation in football should be fun, enjoyable and provide a platform to learn and develop life skills, make new friends and enhance personal growth.

Background:

After the closure of the Hi Rez Youth Centre, a group of leaders, parents and members were very much in favour of finding a new home for our hugely successful model of youth provision that has been endorsed at both National and European level as an example of ‘Best Practice in Youth Work’. Phoenix Youth believe that a partnership arrangement with Celtic Youth Bray, Be Well Bray, New Sound Music and a collaboration with Bray Wanderers and Ardmore Rovers would signal the emergence of a unique, dynamic and multi faceted Community based project. We feel that Bray and surrounding areas would benefit tremendously from the development of a new brand of youth project that will will have the values of Community at its very heart.

Aims:

• To provide a professionally managed and high quality model of Youth Work provision • To offer an inclusive environment where the highest value is placed on young people’s

safety and well being while offering a wide variety of opportunities for personal and social development

• To use the National Youth Strategy 2015-2020 as a reference point and a guide to best practice using the National Outcomes as a benchmark for our work.

Objectives:

• To maintain a governance structure that ensures transparency and authenticity at management level while embracing opportunities for strategic development and supporting the ongoing work on the ground

• To strive for a model of best practice by ensuring a ‘youth voice’ in all decision making • To facilitate young people’s engagement in positive and productive youth work activities • To support young people through significant life transitions • To provide leadership development pathways to members, junior leaders and senior

leaders • To increase the ‘social capital’ of young people by empowering them to become active

global citizens • Develop and maintain positive, collaborative relationships in Ireland and beyond with

groups and organisations who have compatible visions and values with our own. • Engage with the wider European Youth Work community, the Development Education

and Global Education movements to support the positive development of an inclusive and diverse society

• To design and deliver effective developmental training to our own youth leaders and to those in the wider youth, community and education sectors

Some proposed Activities:

Phoenix Youth will offer young people an opportunity to have shared ownership of their own Youth Project and to have an equal role in the management and strategic development of the youth project.

Phoenix Youth has a strong and mutually supportive relationship with Be Well Bray, New Sound Music project and Celtic Youth Bray. We will continue to collaborate with these groups and to support the important work they do in their respective areas of positive youth mental health promotion, youth music performance and production and youth activities.

Phoenix Youth will build innovative collaborative projects with local, national and international groups based on a shared vision between partners, young people, leaders and management.

Phoenix Youth will develop a social enterprise model to compliment fundraising and grant applications as a way of sustaining the necessary income to ensure a solid foundation from which to build as we grow.

Phoenix Youth will open five days a week and offer Membership to young people from 1st year to 4th year or 16yrs of age.

At 16 years of age we will offer our Junior Leader training programme which gives Junior Leader Trainees (JLT’s) a year of training, coaching and support to explore leadership and and the roles and responsibilities that come with leadership.

At 18 years of age we will offer Senior Leader training which includes Garda Vetting and Child Protection training. We are also committed to supporting Leaders to develop their skills, knowledge and attitudes by attending youth related trainings in Ireland and across Europe according to needs and interests.

Phoenix Youth will become an accredited European Voluntary Service (EVS) Coordinating, Hosting and Sending Organisation. We will host European Volunteers and integrate them into our own team of local volunteers and the general Phoenix family. They will add a positive European dimension to our work and hopefully inspire our own young people to consider doing EVS themselves.

Phoenix Youth has the capacity, credentials and competence to support the establishment and management of a Junior Supporters Club within Bray Wanderers.

Phoenix Youth can design and offer Leadership and Character building training within a Football framework for both Ardmore Rovers and Bray Wanderers.

Phoenix Youth has expertise and experience in areas that are relevant and applicable to the football environment such as anti-racism, mental health and well being, diversity etc.

Principles

Phoenix Youth will be building a unique and innovative model of Youth Development upon the pillars of our own brand of “LEARNING”.

In our project L.E.A.R.N.I.N.G. represents…..

L - Laughter - A fundamental part of what we are about. Young people should expect to be smiling and laughing in the youth work environment where they choose to spend their time.

E - Empathy - This is a core value and enriches the approach to our work in every sense

A - Acceptance - Meeting young people where they are at in their lives ensures an inclusive youth work environment

R - Relationships - The foundation to all of our work with young people

N - Nurturing - We believe in giving young people the space to explore their potential and we strive to offer support in nurturing the positive development of their skills, knowledge and attitudes.

I - Involvement - Our model of youth work enables young people to recognise and value the importance of their place in the world “today” as well as in the future.

N - Navigation - Our support structures offer young people the tools that may support them to navigate the sometimes ‘complex’ world they must exist in day to day.

G - Growing - We believe that every experience is an opportunity to grow and when you have a safe space to develop the tools to support that growth, you will always be rising to your potential!

Stay in touch with us:

Email: info@phoenixyouthproject.com

Web: www.phoenixyouthproject.com

Twitter: @phoenixYPBray

Facebook: Phoenix Youth Project Bray