ANNUAL REPORT Lancashire Youth Challenge 2021 Registered Charity: 1163469 ## **INTRODUCTION** activities, community impact projects and outdoor expeditions – were restructured safely and undiminished. Lancashire Youth Challenge (LYC) sets out to improve the life chances for young people by giving them a wide and exciting range of opportunities and experiences to help build their confidence and resilience. Sometimes, though, just being there is the most important thing. All this is laid out in this report, but the detailing fails to reveal the passion, inspiration, drive, energy, commitment, and resourcefulness of the outstanding individuals who led the way and the team of volunteers that helped make things happen when they were most needed. It seems fitting, then, that this never-say-die spirit of the charity was rewarded this year with the MBE for voluntary groups, the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. And, looking ahead, LYC is now set fair for ‘exporting’ the proven LYC model to other localities in Lancashire. The groundwork for this has been laid over the past months. Even more young people will, in future, benefit from the charity just ‘being there’ and able to respond to whatever challenges are faced. Full speed ahead! This has never been more the case than during the last 12 months when young people have had to endure social and personal restrictions that have closed in their lives to a degree unique in modern times. The pandemic and the dreaded manifestations of lockdown could and did shut down many charities. LYC, led by the truly remarkable Guy and Sam, recognised the damage that could have been wreaked by also shutting down young lives at a critical time. **George Harris** _(Chair of Trustees)_ By dint of careful planning, effective strategies for coping with Covid regulations and a blank refusal to cut its young people adrift, LYC was always there for them. Remarkably, too, the impressive scale of opportunities - personal development challenges, well-being programmes, creative arts **1** ## **OUR PURPOSE, VALUES & APPROACH** ## PURPOSE ## APPROACH To nurture, support, challenge and empower young people to achieve personal success. ## VALUES Recognising individual uniqueness and cultural identity whilst celebrating our collective, common humanity. **Unique** Providing each young person with bespoke support to enable them to identify their place in the world and make positive and meaningful change in their lives. Embedding collaborative practices into the work of Lancashire Youth Challenge; to ensure high quality delivery of our purpose with young people, communities, and stakeholders. ## **Collaborative** Empowering young people to identify their personal goals, develop their confidence and achieve their full potential. ## **Achieving** Lancashire Youth Challenge believes in a strength and asset-based approach to our work with young people and we encourage the celebration of achievement, youth empowerment, collaborative working and youth led practices. Our focus as a charity is to enable young people to overcome their personal obstacles, build resilience and to be celebrated and recognised for their achievements. To this end, when discussing or promoting our work, we adopt asset-based language and focus on achievements and successes. We ensure that young people are intrinsically involved in shaping our strategic vision and informing our operational decision making. We do this via the following mediums. **Youth Advisory Sessions** - Co-designing projects and the annual delivery programme. **Peer Mentoring Programme** - Conduit for information sharing and programme evaluation. **Young Trustees & Young Associates** - Informing strategic development, policy, and practice. **Project Evaluations** - Creative conversations capturing feedback and review. **Personal Development Programme** - Monthly communication with our Youth Support Worker. **Equitable** Equal and equitable provision defined to meet the needs of the young people we serve. **2** ## **OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD (2019-22)** Launched in 2019, Our Place in the World is an innovative three-year programme designed to enable young people to investigate and define their place in society via participation in high quality personal wellbeing projects, cultural and creative arts-based activities, community impact projects, bespoke 1-1 personal development sessions, educational events and trips, and the annual outdoor expedition programme. As a targeted youth provision, young people are referred to the programme via local statutory, health, education, youth & community partners, and parents/guardians. Our annual programme is delivered in partnership with industry experts and provides a voice to young people who feel underrepresented, enabling them to make positive changes in their own lives and the wider community. **3** **----- Start of picture text -----**
PROGRAMME
SCHEMATIC
COMMUNITY
IMPACT
PROJECTS
CULTURAL &
HE & FE
CREATIVE
EDUCATION
ARTS
PARTNERSHIPS
PROJECTS
REFERRAL PERSONAL COACHING WORK EXIT
WELLBEING & PEER PREPARATION
PROCESS STRATEGY
PROGRAMME MENTORING PROGRAMME
OUTDOOR LIFE SKILLS
EXPEDITION PROGRAMME
PROGRAMME
SECONDARY
EDUCATION
PROJECTS
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## **PROGRAMME SCHEMATIC** **4** **----- Start of picture text -----**
THEORY OF CHANGE
OPITW
Outdoor
Fitness Community Cultural & Work
Life Skills Challenges 1 to 1 Peer
OUTPUTS & Wellbeing Challenges Impact Creative & Annual Preparation Mentoring Mentoring
Challenges Challenges Education Programme
Expedition
Challenges
Young people
Young people are
Young people feel Young people Young people feel a sense
equipped with the Young people Young people feel
MECHANISMS they are positively feel confident develop of purpose,
skills to manage feel safe and listened to and
OF CHANGE contributing to to express confidence to try achievement, and
their physical and supported respected
their community themselves new things contribution to
mental wellbeing
society
Increased
Increased A greater aspirations Improved social A greater sense
Increased
INTERMEDIATE respect for commitment Increased and clear plan interaction and Increased of personal
empathy and
OUTCOMES themselves to equality and motivation to achieve communication independence responsibility
compassion
and others diversity personal skills and maturity
ambitions
Young people will have a greater Positive
understanding of their place in the world Long term improvements long-term A developed
LONG TERM Educational Enhanced life
and how they can enable and facilitate to physical and mental relationships sense of self
OUTCOMES attainment skills
positive, meaningful change in their lives health and wellbeing with peers and efficacy
and the wider community. others
5
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## **2021 DELIVERY PROGRAMME** ## CULTURAL & CREATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMME **Visual Arts Project** _**(Life in Lockdown)**_ As 2021 began, we entered the third national lockdown, meaning our programme was, yet again, moved online and our face-to-face activity was halted. However, our energy and spirit were not dampened, and in late January, we commissioned Hannah Whitlow, to deliver a ten-week visual arts project. Young people from LYC and Stanley’s Youth and Community Centre worked together with Hannah online to create bespoke pieces of visual art which reflected their lived experiences of life in lockdown. Eight new pieces of art were created and exhibited online at King Street Studios, as part of their Unlocked Experiences Exhibition. **6** ## **CULTURAL & CREATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMME** ## **Bronze Arts Award Festival** In February, we launched the Bronze Arts Award Festival in partnership with More Music and the Prop Up Project. We recruited 40 young people to the project, many of whom had never engaged in arts activity and self-identified as being from marginalised communities including resettled refugees, young carers, looked after young people and those from the LGBTQ+ community. We initially commissioned six culturally diverse artists to deliver a series of ‘creative experimentation workshops’ where the young people produced a number of pieces of art, including a short film about life in lockdown, which you can view _**here**_ . Over the following few weeks, we supported 10 young people to complete their Bronze Arts Award. As arts venues were closed, we commissioned GRAFT - a local arts organisation - to restage their ‘Voices: Sparking Creative Conversations in Art’ exhibition, which we presented on the external walls at More Music. The exhibition was live for three weeks and was seen by hundreds of community members in Morecambe. To conclude the festival, we commissioned a filmmaker to support the team to produce a film exploring the themes of Hope & Resilience, which we premiered at More Music in late spring. **7** VISION OF A FUTIJRE A @ROUP MAN IFesTO FOR LIFE Fc6fcnviD 2iJ-SrLI | NHS 4tyA>9A-J 9Lvaa3191 ¥ 94 Lancashire Youth Challenge N(4 10
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## **COMMUNITY IMPACT PROJECTS** ## **Construction Challenge @ Fork to Fork** At the heart of our work is the commitment to support, inspire and enable young people to make meaningful positive changes in their lives and the wider community. This year, our team of young people have gifted their time and energy to enhance and develop a forest garden at Fork to Fork. This amazing food-growing organisation is staffed by a team of volunteers with learning disabilities and is visited by hundreds of local community members who use the space for wellbeing activities, horticulture projects, outdoor education workshops and as a place to connect with nature. In May and June, working in partnership with a local professional carpenter, our team built a new equipment store for the volunteers, built a pond, planted several trees, and built habitat homes for birds and insects. In October, the team returned to the site and built a fire pit and seating area. The seating area included nine tree stumps, which were inset with mosaics the young people had designed and constructed using glass and ceramic tiles. **11** ## **COMMUNITY IMPACT PROJECTS** ## **Street Speak!** In July, we partnered with Ridge Community Centre, Active Lancashire, Central Lancaster High School, Claver Hill Growing Community, and the Gregson Institute to facilitate a ten-week detached youth work project in the Bulk Ward of the city. Young people attended workshops at the Ridge Community Centre, Quad Biking sessions at Forrest Hills, Go Karting in Warrington, and several trips to local restaurants in Lancaster. Following this initial pilot, it is our aim to facilitate similar school holiday provision in 2022. The project commissioned four youth workers to deliver weekly detached youth interventions across the summer engaging twenty-five local young people in positive meaningful activity. **12** ## **ANNUAL EXPEDITIONS** ## **Highest, Longest, Deepest, Darkest & Wildest Challenge** Over six days in August, a team of twelve young people, recruited from our Preston and Lancaster programmes joined forces to complete this epic challenge, together they: - hiked the **highest** mountain in England, - canoed the **longest** lake in England, - abseiled into one of the **deepest** quarries in Cumbria, - traversed the **darkest** caves at Yordas and; - experienced the **wildest** night of wild camping atop of the fells. By participating in these outdoor expeditions young people can fully engage in the beauty and wonder of the natural world, enhance their physical health, overcome personal obstacles, and work together towards a common goal. They develop manifold life skills and coping mechanisms which enable them to better manage their mental health, and realise positive, life changing outcomes. Click _**here**_ to watch the documentary film. ## Quotes from young people, parents, and guardians: _“It was really fun, and it taught me that if I keep fighting, I can achieve anything I want to.”_ _“This challenge really built up my son’s confidence. He came back with a positive attitude and was proud of everything he had achieved as he initially thought he couldn’t do it. Lastly, the challenge was great for his mental health, and he also made new friends. Thank you so much, he now has amazing memories too.”_ **13** ## **ANNUAL EXPEDITIONS** ## **Winter Challenge** In late November, a team of nine young people completed the Winter Challenge, a three-day outdoor adventure in Cumbria. Battling the snow, high winds and zero degree temperatures they hiked across Orton Fell, overcame their fears on the Tree Top Challenge, and developed their teamwork skills as they paddled across Ullswater lake. **15** ## **COACHING AND PEER MENTORING** ## **1-1 Coaching and Personal Support** In spring 2021 we launched the LYC Personal Development Portfolio, which is completed by each young person during monthly 1-1 coaching sessions with our youth support worker. Initially, the young person completes a 50-question personal development survey, identifying their strengths, behaviours and skills they wish to develop. At their monthly coaching sessions, the young people review their learning and upload video and photographic evidence of their progress. ## **Peer Mentors** Our fantastic peer mentor and board member, Josh, has been active in supporting young people at monthly group sessions, on the _2021 Construction Challenge_ and during the _Highest, Longest, Deepest, Darkest and Wildest Challenge_ . Two of our long-standing participants, Niyah and Ross are currently training to become peer mentors and are completing their NICAS climbing qualification at Lancaster University, which will enable them to support the staff team in facilitating regular indoor climbing sessions, as part of our fitness and wellbeing programme. **16** ## **SECONDARY SCHOOLS, FURTHER & HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS** ## **Our Place in the World Cultural & Creative Education Programme** In July 2020, we launched the _Our Place in the World Cultural and Creative Education programme_ in partnership with Lancaster University and Curious Minds. This exciting two-year strategic programme engages 150+ local young people each year, in high quality creative learning projects, workshops, careers events and online sessions. The programme offers continuous professional development opportunities for artists, educators, and youth workers, and enables opportunities for shared learning and collaborative practice amongst creative learning practitioners, educational institutions and youth and community practitioners. In 2021, we facilitated several projects including: **Re: Create Challenge** - A creative learning pack consisting of twelve arts and craft ideas to support and enhance young people’s emotional and mental wellbeing. Two hundred packs were disseminated to students at Carnforth High School, Central Lancaster High School, Bay Leadership Academy, Lancaster & Morecambe College and Chadwick High School. Download a digital version of the pack, here. **Change in a Box** - An arts and social activism project, empowering young people to make creative commentary on their place in the world and participate in individual or group activism initiatives which encourage and enable positive social change, produced by Theatre in the Rough. We have supported Theatre in the Rough to restage their exceptionally successful project, which was initially commissioned in 2020 and has now had three further iterations. We disseminated 150 boxes to students across the district, and thanks to investment from Arts Council England, we are now able to provide every single Year 9 student in the Lancaster District with their own Change in a Box empowering them to make comment on their place in the world through the medium of arts activism. **Brain Hacks** - a mobile phone photography project facilitated by local photographer, Ginny Koppenhol. This project encourages young people to explore ways in which creative practice can assist and support positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. **Now You See It** - a site-specific three-dimensional art project, exploring unseen spaces in Morecambe and transforming them with the use of large inflatable artworks, delivered by Internationally acclaimed environmental artist, Steve Messam. This project encourages audiences to see their local spaces in a new way, encouraging debate and discussion on the spaces we inhabit. **Kickstart Placement** - In October, we welcomed Zia Khan to the team, as an Assistant Arts Producer on a six-month Kickstart Placement. Zia will be leading the development of New Radicals, a youth advisory collective that will help to inform the development of Culture Co-op and realise inclusive, creative change in our community. For more information about the partnership please visit _**here**_ . **17** ## **SECONDARY SCHOOLS, FURTHER & HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS** ## **Peace in Schools** Peace in schools is a pilot project delivered in partnership with the Zen Peace Centre and Central Lancaster High School, supporting young people to develop personal resilience and confidence to better manage stress and anxiety in school. The project began in September and engaged eight, Year 10 students in twelve, weekly workshops. The workshops taught the students a variety of skills including guided meditation, breathing & calming techniques, and sleep management. They explored their motivations, values, and decision-making processes, whilst learning anger management techniques and self-reflection; helping them to better manage their emotions and find peace in their daily lives. The nine-month project has supported 8 young adults (16-23) to define their values, strengths and behaviours, and skills sets through a series of workshops with a professional work coach and through the completion of the Harrison Assessment (an online psychometric and analytical assessment tool). The team attended a work preparation course, exploring all areas of recruitment including application writing, CV development, interview technique, communication skills, online promotion, job market analysis and employment rights. Between January and March 2022, the young people will attend entrepreneurial thinking workshops with Lancaster University, receive coaching from local ‘business buddies’ and undertake real world work experiences. ## **Find your Purpose, Realise your Ambition** The employment market is highly competitive, especially at this time, and we recognise that young people need support and guidance to navigate the job market and to develop the skills, attributes and behaviours needed to successfully secure employment. Therefore, in July we launched a pilot Career and Work Preparation programme, in partnership with Lancaster based charity the Adullam Programme. This programme was financially supported by the Banks Lyon Memorial Trust. **18** LUS You TODAY! ## **VOLUNTEERS** We were thrilled and honoured to be a recipient of the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (the MBE for Voluntary and Charitable Organisations). We are one of only three organisations in Lancaster, and one of seven in Lancashire, to have received this amazing honour, which recognises the hard work, commitment and dedication of our Volunteers, Trustees, and Peer Mentors. The Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lord Shuttleworth presented the award to a small team of staff and volunteers at a celebration event at County Hall, Preston. In May 2022, two volunteers will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace. **2018** ## **STATISTICS** 64 Young people attended our weekly participatory programme. 265 Young people engaged in the Our Place in the World Cultural & Creative Education programme. 206 Online workshops and 1-1 coaching sessions. 1100 Participation opportunities offered via the Our Place in the World Cultural & Creative education Programme. 296 Face to face workshops, group events, trips, and expedition sessions. 35 Young people engaged via the Street Speak! Bulk Ward Detached Youth Work Partnership. 1385 Participation opportunities offered via the Our Place in the World weekly programme. 260 Hours of detached youth work delivered during the 2021 summer holidays. **21** ## **THANKS** We would like to say a huge thank you to the freelances, creative practitioners, youth workers, volunteers, trustees, and partners who supported the delivery of our 2021 programme. We would also like to express our gratitude to our wonderful funders who make our work possible: The National Lottery Community Fund Francis C Scott Charitable Trust The Areti Charitable Foundation Arts Council England Garfield Weston Foundation The Foyle Foundation The Banks Lyon Memorial Trust The COOP Local Community Fund Home Office COVID-19 Support for vulnerable children’s charities Lancashire COVID-19 Community Support Fund Tesco Bags of Help Lancaster University Curious Minds Lancaster Community Fund Lancashire County Council Active Lancashire Newby Trust The National Lottery Awards for All Lancaster District Community Wellbeing Fund Lancashire Youth Challenge, Cornerstone Building, Sulyard Street, Lancaster, LA1 1PX. Registered Charity: 1163469 **22** Lancashire Youth Challen Accounts For The Year Ended 31st March 2021 Lancashire Youth Challen Contents Officers and advisers...... Accountanvs report................................-.......................-........ Approval of financial information................. Profit and loss account.............. Balance sheet..........................,....... Notestotheaccounts............................................................. Lancashire Youth Challen Officers and advisers Management Comrnlttee Rachael Holden -Trustee Yakub Patel - Secretsry George Harris- Chairman Julie Brown - Treasurer Samantha Emma Harding- Trustee Donna Coleman Phil Longbottom James Henry Wooldridge Accountants GMR Accountants Ltd 1st Floor 8 - 12 London Street Southport Merseyside PR9 OUE Registered Charlty Charity Number 1163489 Lan¢ishlr• Youth ChaUeng• Prnflt & Lou ￿count For th• ye•r •ndod 31 Alarch 1021 R•strle•d Fund8 Unmirlct•d F￿d5 Total Funds R•8trl¢•d Fund• Ufirnstrf¢t•d Fund$ Toi•l Funds 2021 2021 2021 2020 2Q20 2020 Incom• 0onatth8 Fundralslng Grant Mls¢ 80.58 64.79 80.58 381¢ 203.45 228.15 383.03 203.45 73.151.55 109.858.95 109,858.95 039.9J 72,grJ.40 639.80 109.858.95 785.27 110.644.22 72.923.40 814.63 73.738.03 Exp•ns•s Wag81 Ears P￿￿¢)n Contrlblrtlon E'er5 Notional InSw￿¢¢ Conlribulkjn Renl Member5hlplSubscrVhxs ProjeGI Costs - Cre81ive Progranym Proje¢A C08ts- Physical Pr¢gramme ct Cos18- Other stafl Trdnkng h7¥ur￿Ce Mar*ellw &AdvertI￿r¥I T•*ommunlc•tlon8 IT Volunteor, Staff and TN*ee Expenies Travel and F¥oJxl Travel Costs ConsLh1￿cY Ptyr¢l Bureau A¢¢ountancy Charges Depreclatlon Btmk Chargqs oirice Expenses PrknttrnJ + Po¥tage Legal Expenses 49,385.04 1,106.55 457.81 1,800.(N) 76.C 33,(YdS.41 9,219.98 1.827.03 66.23 505.10 1.118.72 1,514.52 1,671.79 658.57 436.50 400.58 1.440.CKI 593.38 69.00 726.93 476.40 29.99 49.365.04 1.106.55 457.81 1.80alY) 256.rA) 33.265.41 9.710.03 1.827.03 66.23 505.10 1.118.72 1.514.52 1.701.79 658.57 1.145.25 400.58 1,440.C 593.36 69.(X) 728.93 476.40 29.99 37.721.99 815.91 37.721.99 815.91 1,745.lJO 1.745.¢XI 85.C 4,638.87 12.903.72 262.40 1.175.00 520.61 1.852.72 725.45 1.488.02 1.287.63 1.166.CQ 22464 180.00 200.00 490.07 4,622.55 12,610.82 262.40 1.175.00 620.61 1,834.72 554.44 1,278.02 1.287.63 1,166.00 224.64 1.440.00 430.80 65.00 315.94 313.00 14.32 284.90 18.00 171.01 210.CKI 69.68 708.75 430.80 65.CQ 315.94 313.00 (108.645,47> 11,808.821 1108.254.29) 129,939.57) (39.305.81) 167.ns.70) N•t Surplu• 3.213.48 823.55 42 983.83 38491.18 6.002.33 Lan shl Y uth Ch Asat31 Ma h 2020 2021 2020 Flxed assets Tangible assets 447 527 Current assets National Weslminster Account CAF Bank Account Cash Account OTSS 68,973 38 45,559 1,083 69,011 46,642 Current Ilabllities Deferred income Accruals PAYE {54,887) 1420) {11) (33,572) (900) (926) 55.298 Not current as88ts 13,713 11.244 Not currnnt free re¥erv 14,181 11,771 Flnanced by: Capital accounts Balance as at 1 April 2020 Surplus for year 11.771 2.390 7,209 4,562 14,161 11,771