PAYP Funded- Reaching Out Too Project

The benefits from working in partnership under the PAYP funded Reaching Out Too initiative have been numerous and very significant for the Junior YIP.  The successful bid has opened doors to great opportunities such as additional training and activities which has added value for both service users and staff. The partnership itself has been very important in the capacity building of the project, bringing together local projects that have shared aims and values, and encouraging working across the agencies as well as building positive, supportive relationships between professionals. This again has added value to the quality of issue-based preventative work delivered to referred, at risk service users; because staff gained more knowledge, experience and confidence, from the training and sharing of good practice across the projects.

The staff and the JYIP have certainly felt a huge benefit from the work, namely the LEAP training, staff have said the following:
“We’ve been able to use the resources from it, and the activities have been popular with the young people”
“Having done the training, it’s opened up a new way of working for us, where we have designed entire programmes and issue based session plans around conflict, and been able to even go on and design our own worksheets and create new activities from the learning we did.”

The bid also included a residential, which was also very well-received by service users, who engaged positively and proactive in all aspects of this activity, including and especially in the consultation about gangs and conflict. This helped us to get an insight into the way young people think with regards to these issues that affect their lives. In the remit of crime prevention, this information and participation from young people is extremely valuable.

In short, the PAYP funding to Reaching Out Too has opened up many doors for the project and service users, and will hopefully continue to bring new opportunities for future partnerships to develop service delivery in the crime prevention arena.

Background
Leeds Reach received Challenging Gang Culture Training from Leap Confronting Conflict in late 2009.  They received Conflict Practitioner training in January 2010. Leeds city council PAYP brought together various organisations from across the city of Leeds (Tackle it, Hamara, St Lukes and Leeds Reach) as part of an initiative to help explore issues of Gangs and Territorialism and Identity. The organisations were tasked with coordinating and recommending other members in their locality who would benefit from the additional training.

Leeds Reach wanted to train young people to further support the work that they are doing in schools in the local area.  They were keen on the idea of having peer facilitators to deliver alongside their staff. As part of the Pathfinder programme, Leap CC was able to match fund for this piece of work. In order that Reach staff would be better able to support their young people in running workshops post delivery the course was designed so that the young people involved received similar training to the adults who had attended the 8 day train the trainer programme.

The course included a level 1 OCN accreditation in an “Introduction to personal and interpersonal conflict”

Learning outcomes achieved:
OCN unit:

• Understand the different conflicts that may occur frequently in a learning environment
• Understand the different conflicts that may occur frequently in a learning environment
• Understand the causes of conflict.   
• Understand the emotions and physical responses experienced during a conflict
• Recognise the types of behaviours that are likely to increase and decrease the level of a conflict

Mediation in the moment (to support working with challenging behaviour)

• For mediators to develop an awareness of how mediation skills can be used in a range of different contexts (e.g. with friends, family, in the playground)
• To practice assessing whether it is safe to use mediation skills (the costs and gains to yourself and others)
• To practice using mediation skills

Workshop design and facilitate:

• Introduction to workshop design and Facilitation
• Team building skills
• Workshop design
• Coaching in delivery
• Coaching in facilitation
• Feedback on working with challenging behaviour

Evaluation of Leeds Reach Quarrel Shop 12 – 22nd April 2010
Numbers trained:  9
UK Black – 6
Dual heritage  – 2
Asian – 1    
Male - 2
Female – 7
Age range – 16 – 21

Leeds Reach were hoping for more young people and started their recruitment process with 18 young people keen to start. However, due to scheduling issues beyond their control, the run in time for Reach was not what they would have hoped for which therefore had an impact on the numbers who finally attended.

All participants scored themselves pre and post course in the categories below.  1 being low and 5 being high.  All participants showed a significant shift in how they rated themselves from the beginning to the end of the course. They were measured on the following categories:

Communication:

• 50 % improvement  in young peoples perception of their communication skills
• 40% improvement of their listening skills
• 50% shift in the perception of their ability to speak in a group
• 62.5% shift in their perception of their ability to be able to express themselves

Confidence:

• 42.5% shift in their perception of their levels of confidence.
• 31.25% shift in their belief that they can achieve their goals
• 42.5% shift in their belief that they are successful
• 52.5% shift in their positivity

Empathy

• 35% Shift in the perception of their ability to identify other people’s actions
• 50 % shift in their perception of their ability to recognise other people’s emotions
• 35 % shift in their perception of their ability to understand other people’s feelings.

Teamwork

• 27.5% shift in their perception of their team working ability
• 37.5% shift in their perception of their ability to take part
• 32.5 % shift in their perception of their ability to commit to a team
• 30% shift in their belief that they can support and involve other people.

Learning outcomes achieved (1 low 10 high)

• To have the skills to design a workshop range between 6.5 and 10
• To develop skills to deal with conflict in day to day life range 7 – 10  “I now have a different way of thinking and have learned how to display my emotions in a positive way without escalating conflict”
• To have the skills to facilitate a workshop range 7-10 “I gained confidence and trust in myself”
• To understand the factors that escalate and de-escalates conflict range 9-10 “ I’ve took it all in and now know how to use it”

They would all recommend the course to their friends and rated the trainers 10 out of 10    

Accreditation:
All have submitted a portfolio of evidence for level 1 accreditation to OCN this will be both internally & externally moderated with certificates possibly ready for late June or July.

Agencies trained whilst engaged in the ‘Reaching Out too project’
Allerton Grange High School (2)
Chapeltown Young People’s 10 – 2 club (4)
Chapeltown Youth Development Centre (2)
Community safety officers (2)
Community workers (1)
Leeds Reach (4)
Nacro Junior YIP’s (5)
Safer Leeds representatives (2)