Welcome to the 2022 impact report for The Bridge. On this page you can download the entire PDF file or browse each page below. If you click on each image, you can take a closer look. Alternatively, you can read the text only version, also copied below.
Introduction
The Bridge Youth Centre exists to create opportunities for young people. Helping them succeed as they grow. The core elements of our programme are: Sessions Young Volunteer training Mentor Support All our staff and volunteers love working in The Bridge environment to support young people. Everything we do sits within a core curriculum, which helps to guide how we respond to the young people who attend our activities.
- Sessions: Our sessions follow a curriculum programme, which covers topics such as Alcohol, Drugs, Diversity, Sexuality and Belief. In 2022 our sessions included holiday provision and a Saturday opening Cafe Project which ran throughout 2022.
- Young Volunteer Training: We actively promote a culture of serving within The Bridge. We teach the young volunteers how to communicate well, listen and how to run activities.
- Mentor Support: Mentor Support is provided in the community and through schools. Each member of the team is trained to offer support alongside the centre manager.
Sessions
The Bridge is best known for its open sessions on Tuesday and Friday nights. This is when we get to know the young people the best. The most important aspect of our session evenings is that the young people lead and guide what happens. This is true, not only in terms of games we play or food we eat, but also what the building looks like, what resources we have available, and also the things we discuss. We have a curriculum, which we follow as the needs arise. The curriculum covers topics such as Alcohol, Drugs, Diversity, Sexuality and Belief. During 2022 our sessions ran on Tuesday evening, Friday evening, Saturday lunch time and every major holiday. Our holiday provision was part funded by Shropshire Council.
We collect a range of statistics about sessions. These statistics help us understand attendance, our impact and how the young people are progressing as they grow. 158 individuals attended on Tuesday & Friday night. 54 individuals attended Tuesday 138 individuals attended Friday. 34 attended both sessions. 30 young people registered for Easter holiday trips. 32 young people registered for Summer holiday events. 9 young people registered for Christmas holiday events. An additional 122 (approximately) attended 4 events on Crown Meadow and Lodge Lane during the summer.
Calm Cafe
This year we introduced a brand new Saturday Cafe initiative to The Bridge. We named it The Calm Cafe. The plan was to provide a safe, welcoming space for young people to use at the weekend. Much research and planning went into the cafe, including the decor, its name and the opening times. Unfortunately, the cafe wasn’t as successful as we had hoped. Still, we’re thrilled with the renovation of the cafe space. In addition, the entire centre has benefitted from a year of focusing on how we provide food for young people. As a trust, we must try to keep up with youth culture trends. Sometimes we won’t get it right, but in this case, our building and young people have benefited in ways we couldn’t have predicted. Saturday opening has stopped, but the Cafe still operates within sessions.
Young Volunteers
There’s a rich history of young people giving their time to help run The Bridge. Once a younger attendee sees an older young person they look up to helping out; they can’t wait to do the same. For some young people they’re fulfilling the requirements of schemes like the Duke of Edinburgh award. For others they see The Bridge as a second home; either way, it’s not unusual for young people to treat the building with a high level of care and attention. In 2022, many of our young volunteers took on responsibilities, which included activity provision and food service in the Calm Cafe.
Mentor Support
We love helping young people find avenues for success in their lives. Sometimes young people will need special attention and guidance. At times that guidance might look like a simple conversation and a listening ear; however, some young people will need a mentor to help them overcome the challenge they’re facing. We have a small team, but we try to be available in school and the community as needed. Here are four stories which have come from our mentoring focussed programme.
In September, this young person joined our Young Volunteer programme and they have been incredibly successful. They respond well to task-focused direction and are immensely proactive, ensuring that no young person is left alone or left out. They recently ran a baking activity during a Friday session, where they decorated cupcakes with young people. They led every step of the way, planning the session, organising resources and running the activity.
This student has had a rough time in mainstream education and has struggled to understand the consequences imposed on them. We’ve mentored this student for a while, and at Easter, there was a major breakthrough which signified real success for the student. This is of course, down to their determination and commitment. We’ve been thrilled to see the student take on strategies introduced in mentoring with us.
This young person started attending this year. They were very quiet and sat alone during every session. When we spoke, it was clear they had a good time, but everything they took part in was suggested first by a team member. When we established the café as part of sessions in the spring, this young person started getting involved. Serving gave them the confidence they needed to start conversations, and they have also learned some new skills.
When we first met this young person during the HAF programme this summer, despite being a younger member, they presented many challenges. They were antagonistic, easily frustrated with a quick temper and pushed every boundary we set. Weeks on they have become an integrated member of the group. Their responses are much less explosive, and they have a much deeper understanding of themselves and a growing understanding of others.
Parents Reflect
It’s important to recognise that many young people wouldn’t find us without the support of parents and carers. There are many reasons why we speak to parents and carers; often, it’s simply to ask how they feel about the activities and support we offer. From time to time, parents and carers will get in touch just to let us know how things are going and it’s not unusual to find that The Bridge is providing valuable support.
“My child has seemed to be improving since they have started seeing you. They seem determined to mend their ways, and seem to be settling down to school work and managing social relationships extremely well. We have been really pleased with the progress”
With Thanks
As an independent local charity, The Bridge Youth Centre relies exclusively upon the generosity of a number of local individual supporters, local supporting business partners, and local grant making bodies, who join with us in our work to help young people become Secure, Successful, Proactive & Independent. We want to extend our thanks for their ongoing support over many years to: Our individual supporters Libra Systems Lowe and Fletcher Torchbearers Trust Also to the following for grants during 2022 The Hall Garth Foundation Shropshire Council Bridgnorth Town Council Bridgnorth Lions Thanks too, to our wonderful team of staff and volunteers without whom our work would be impossible.
