Team scoops award for giving young people in Pellon a voice
A team who challenged and supported young people in Pellon to shape the future of youth services has won an award.
Reachout Pellon has won the Contribution to Children and Young People Award at North Halifax Partnership’s Our Communities Awards.
The awards celebrate individuals and groups whose work and commitment has had a positive impact on the communities within the Warley and Park wards of Halifax.
The Reachout Pellon team hit the streets to speak to young people and find out what the problems in the area were from their perspective. After identifying a lack of activities, they developed a programme, in partnership with organisations such as Newground Together, Together Housing Group, Yorkshire Housing and Halifax Boxing, Sports and Fitness Club, to get young people off the streets.
Reachout Pellon supports young people aged 8 to 25 and their families, delivering a range of activities such as arts and crafts, music, sports, and cooking as well as providing support and advice on topics such as emotional health and wellbeing, drugs awareness and bullying.
Emily Pearson, Sustainable Communities Programme Coordinator at Newground, said: “Young people in Pellon have something to do, somewhere to go and someone to talk to thanks to the support from the youth work team. Young people have worked with the staff to identify challenges they have growing up in the area and worked with the team to combat them, which has resulted in a drop in anti-social behaviour in the area.”
Samantha Harrison, Senior Sustainable Communities Officer for Newground, added: “I’m delighted to be recognised for the work we do but it wouldn’t have been possible without the young people themselves. We provided activities based on their feedback, which is why they have bought into it.”
Reachout Pellon run weekly sessions at The Hub @ Pellon: Tuesdays for 13–19 year-olds, Thursdays for 8-11 year-olds and Fridays for 11–14 year-olds. For more information email [email protected] or call Samantha on 07860 952814.
