Youth Across Hemel Annual Report Sept 2021 to August 2021
I am pleased to present this report as we near the end of the fourth full year that Youth Across Hemel (“YAH”) has operated as a registered charity. Emerging from the devastating impact of the Covid19 Crisis on youth work, as we enter a new year, we continue to make good progress in all our focus areas and have built capacity to grow in influence and impact.
Providing Resources
Since forming as a newly formed charity in July 2018, our focus has been on building up capacity, getting policies and procedures in place, securing volunteers and funding and building important networks and relationships.
We have focused our limited resources on the following areas
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Building networks and relationships
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We have maintained and established new relationships with head teachers, teachers, church leaders, youth leaders and other youth organisations
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Providing training
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We have been actively seeking volunteers, with a number of Hemel’s young adults having assisted with events and other activities. We look to continue to expand this model over the coming year, while ensuring that they are appropriately trained and supported for the work they are involved with.
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Working with local churches
We have been engaging and working with a number of local church leaders and youth workers and, wherever possible, using their facilities for events and activities.
- Running events and clubs
Youth Across Hemel volunteers who also comprise volunteers from other churches and organisations, have run the following free events over the year:
THE MIX 15 at Liberty Tea Rooms – Sep 2021
A Text Treasure Hunt around Marlowes, based on the parable of the lost pearl, brought together some 30 young people and our fab volunteers after a long break. The event ended with free pizza and ice cream floats for all.
BONFIRE PARTY – Nov 2021
A warm evening filled with lots of cheer, sparklers, toasted marshmallows, chocolate milk, glow sticks, games, and worship – all set in a the wonderful tealight lantern-filled, pine forest at Spring Meadow Farm.
ECO-MIX at Adeyfield Free Church – Apr 2022
Bungee run, inflatable archery, pizza making, upcycled games and crafts and an “Old to New” creative prayer space were the highlights of the eco-themed Mix held at Adeyfield Free Church. This was followed by worship and a message by Paul Nicell who shared about our great value to God and why we are all worth recycling even when we mess things up.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED at Grace Baptist Church – Jul 2022
A scorching hot summer’s day didn’t deter those up for sporty summer fun as we ventured indoors for two hours of team challenges, lead by Pete from kick.org.uk who not only shared his amazing raft of games but how he came to be a Christian. Of course prizes and refreshments were on hand to fuel the fun!
Working with Schools
Wherever possible, YAH prefers to collaborate with existing partnerships rather than compete with other organisations or duplicate activity. We work mainly through the following activities;
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Assemblies
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No assemblies were undertaken in 2021-22.
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Lesson Plans
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Partnership with Steps in St Albans has given YAH access to large array of lesson plans which avoids duplication of work. We have successfully adapted and utilised these resources and are grateful for the generosity of Chris Birch-Evans and his team for their generosity and encouragement.
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Clubs
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The Summit: Kings Langley School - a weekly lunchtime club run by YAH Volunteer, Lisa Dussek, Christ Church Baptist Youth and Families Coordinator, Ben Ansell and Kings Langley School leader Melusi Moyo.
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Hemel School Club – a weekly lunchtime club run entirely by South Hill Church Childrens and Families worker, Anna Nicks and Youth Worker, Sorrell Harden at the Hemel Hempstead School (HHS). YAH continues to liaise with the South Hill Church team, with the Head of HHS and Father Mike Macy from St Johns Church, Boxmoor to discuss other opportunities we could collaborate on.
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Reflective (Prayer) Spaces
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Discussions have been taking place with two local schools about the possibility of hosting reflective spaces in school premises or local churches which students can visit and experience different types of prayer and reflection.
Consulting and Supporting Local Churches
YAH seeks to support local churches in the youth work they are doing, either in their churches or local schools. We continue to collaborate wherever we can and to encourage local churches to take the lead wherever possible.
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Building Capacity and Momentum
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We continued to build our database of contacts, ensuring that we are GDPR compliant, and have segmented our contacts into different interest groups in order to support relevant contact.
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Collaboration with churches and organisations
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We have been liaising with a number of different local churches and para-church organisations, including STEP & KICK.
Networking Hub
YAH seeks every opportunity to link people together and to encourage collaboration between different groups where appropriate. Some of the networking activities we have done include:
- Database and Mailing list
Our database includes school heads and teachers, church leaders, organisation leaders,
church youth workers, volunteers, prayer supporters and donors. We do not currently keep any child data on our databases. This growing source of data has proved to be invaluable for our networking activity.
- School Heads and Senior Leadership Team
We have been engaging with two school heads of the ten target schools in our area.
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Attending events
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We will continue to attend events run by other church and para-church organisations where relevant to the work of YAH.
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Networking Breakfasts
We ran a Youth work toolkit night for churches in May. We are looking to run, periodically, networking breakfasts for teachers and church leaders, where teachers are able to meet other Christian teachers and discuss some of the challenges they face in the schools and to be prayed for by the local church leaders. Other planned networking events include.
Prayer / Financial Suport
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We have a WhatsApp group for prayer supporters where we post items for prayer. If you would like to be added to this list please contact info@yahemel.co.uk giving your email / mobile number with permission to use.
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If you would like to offer Financial Support to the work of YAH please contact Treasurer@YAHemel.co.uk
Team updates
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We were sad to say goodbye to our Treasurer, Matt Newman, who has been keeping us on an even financial keel.
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Every cloud has a silver lining and so we are looking forward to welcome Matthew Masters from South Hill Church as our new treasurer.
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We were very pleased to have several volunteers join our team to help out at events - Pritam and Tirzah Josephs, Tom and Charis Beadle from Hemel Vineyard, Jemma and Hannah Young from Hemel Hempstead Community Church, Tom and Sarah Powell from Christchurch.
The Coming Year
On reflection, it was a year of progress for Youth Across Hemel, which should stand us in good stead for the following year. Key for us over the next year will be:
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1) to expand our network of volunteers, to enable us to take on new opportunities
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2) to increase regular giving, from individuals as well as other local organisations; and
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3) to help grow and deepen relationships between the eight target schools in our area and their local churches.
I am grateful to the team for their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication.
Damon Harding Chairperson Youth Across Hemel
Youth Across Hemel Financial Statement for year ending 31st August 2022
Balance b/fwd as at 1st September 2021 £ 3,509.02
| Income Regular Offering One-off donations Gift Aid Total Income Payments Events Cash Withdrawal Expressions Academy ThirtyOneEight Insurance Total payments |
600.00 £ 6,200.00 £ |
|---|---|
| 6,800.00 £ 1,839.84 £ 100.00 £ 1,418.76 £ 165.75 £ 435.36 £ |
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| 3,959.71 £ |
Balance to c/fwd as at 31st August 2022
Balance to c/fwd as at 31st August 2022 £ 6,349.31 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Bank Current A/C £ 6,349.31
Treasurers Statement
The financial statement for the year ending 31st August 2022 have been prepared for the accounting records of Youth Across Hemel.
Treasurer 15 May 2023