A new youth activities portal has been launched by Enfield Council to help some of the most vulnerable children and young adults in the borough gain new skills and fulfil their potential.
The portal is understood to be the only such service launched by a local authority during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It comprises of two initiatives; Youth Bubble which focuses on positive activities via Enfield Council Youth Clubs and the Inspiring Young Enfield scheme, a £1.3 million project funded by the Greater London Authority.
Inspiring Young Enfield delivers a variety of intervention activities, providing support to thousands of young people living in the borough’s most deprived areas. Both programmes are co-ordinated by Enfield Council’s Youth Development Service.
People aged 11-19 years (or up to 25 with a learning difficulty or disability) who are referred to the Inspiring Young Enfield programme will have access to dozens of free activities, workshops and mentoring opportunities, provided by 20 community organisations, all in a COVID secure manner. The aim of the portal is to create a one stop shop, where young people, professionals and parents can find out information on all youth activities taking place in Enfield.
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Rick Jewell, said: “It has become even more important to support young people at this critical time. No young person should be left behind and we are determined to offer assistance, encouragement and inspiration to all Youth Bubble participants. We will also focus on emotional wellbeing and equipping young people with the skills and character to navigate their way through these difficult and challenging times. This will help to secure a better and brighter future for themselves which will in turn benefit the wider community.
“The portal is an important enhancement to the service already offered by Enfield Council’s Youth Development Service, which did not cease during this year’s upheaval. The Council has continued to safely deliver outreach sessions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, contacting 173 young people through youth workers in the community from April to September 2020.”
Topics of the workshops include cooking, fashion and art, business management, boxing, music making and much more. Young people can be referred to the portal for either a Youth Bubble or Inspiring Young Enfield activity/course by Enfield Council staff, teachers who work in schools in Enfield or staff members from a community organisation based in the borough and working with vulnerable young people. Due to current restrictions, face-to-face courses have been rescheduled to take place in January 2021, however there will be access to online courses, by referral only.
As the scheme matures and if COVID-19 restrictions ease, more workshops will be added and young people around the borough will be able to book themselves onto programmes using the portal’s online reservation system. Young people can check availability and register at www.enfield.gov.uk/youth.
Providers interested in getting involved can also use Youth Bubble to put themselves forward to host activities for young people. The Instagram account @Youth_Enfield will follow the courses and update on progress.