What is REACH?

REACH provides activities to unlock the potential within people who feel socially excluded or who have committed offences.

Our Aim:

To provide activities that discourage anti-social behaviour and atti-tudes , reduce re-offending, improve health, address social exclusion and promote education, training and employment.

R Rehabilitation and re-modellingE Education: providing training, employment and mentoring.A Access: providing access to services that improve lives.C Co-ordination: bringing together organisations and services.H Health: providing health education.

REACH supports targets within the Gloucestershire Local Area Agreement (www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/laa)

Background:

REACH is a Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee, with locked assets. It is led by a ‘Board of Members’ who represent the social sector, media industry and business and managed by a director. REACH also has several 'champions' who meet once a year to provide ongoing support in promoting and upholding its activities.

Service users [students] are generally, but not limited to, people who feel socially excluded; these include community payback workers,

people with learning difficulties, children at risk of being excluded from mainstream education, the long term unemployed, ex-offenders and the homeless.

“Social exclusion is about the inability of our society to keep all groups and individuals within reach of what we expect as a society...[or] to realise their full potential." William Julius Wilson

REACH

Who we are and how we operate

REACH has two sites: The Monastery Garden at Prinknash Abbey and The Nursery at Bisley; however students are transported to other sites, known as 'bene-factors', when required. Our staff team is made up of:• Rangers: work with teams of five students. They are trained in pro-social

modelling, health and safety and first aid and are either volunteers or full time paid staff. See What we do for our students.

• Superintendent: floats between groups and offers additional support. Our superintendant is employed and highly trained in areas such as aggression management and restraining techniques.

• Teachers: responsible for overseeing the educational aspects of REACH. We offer NVQ, NOCN and LANTRA qualifications.

• Director: oversees the day to day running of the business.

Prinknash: REACH’s base for landscaping, vegetable growing, environmental awareness and construction.The site at Prinknash includes a garden under construction that requires regular tending; open spaces for exhibitions; opportu-nities to practise construction techniques; vegetable plot and woodland and green wood skills.

Bisley: REACH’s horticulture baseThe Site at Bisley offers: large polytunnels; a shade house; a greenhouse with heated beds; a large greenhouse suitable for a classroom; workshop suitable for carpentry and an animal husbandry area

What we do for society

We have several 'types' of students who all come to us for different reasons and have different needs.Some of our students have special learning needs or physical disabilities. We can offer these students and their

carers the use of our facilities, which are often more extensive than those available in mainstream or special schools.

Many of our students are ‘socially excluded’; this means they are not reaching their full potential, are certainly not 'giving' to society and are likely to be taking from it.

We aim to help Students move from the red zone into the green!!An individual has a negative impact on the community every time he or she 'takes'

from society. A group of rowdy teenagers shouting as they walk down the street causes residents to tug their curtains ever more tightly closed. The fear of crime is often more real than crime itself.

What we do for students

We offer support and advice to students who feel 'socially excluded'. Social exclusion can arise from circumstances such as difficult family situations, health issues, risk of homelessness and dependence on benefits. These issues often lead to behavioural problems which, if left ‘unchecked’, inevitably lead to people 'offending' society by committing criminal offences.

We often meet members of the public who believe that people who feel socially excluded should be given a good shake and told to pull their socks up. Sadly life isn’t that simple and we believe we have found a different approach.Potentially there are seven areas in students' lives that require attention:

1 Attitudes, thinking and behaviourAccommodation2 Education, training and employment3 Health4 Drugs and alcohol5 Finance, benefit and debt6 Children and families

We cannot deal with all of these, which is why the A and C within REACH stand for Access and Co-ordination: we provide access to and co-ordination with organisations that can help people who feel socially excluded.Attitudes, thinking and behaviour.

Our rangers act as motivating role models in order to bring out the best in students. They seek to develop honest and empathetic relationships that demonstrate a genuine concern for students combined with a persistent optimism about their capacity to change. They encourage positive social behaviour while being clear about underlying values and expectations.

Rangers challenge and confront negative values. They work in partnership with students by motivating them, coaching them in new skills, setting clear objectives and monitoring progress.REACH aims to provide NOCN and LANTRA qualifications for long/medium-term students.Activities students may undertake include:• Brick wall construction• Pole lathing• Willow weaving and hurdle making• Hedge laying• Dry stone wallingLetter carving and sculpting• Green wood furniture construction• Carpentry• Rammed earth wall construction• Vegetable growing• Horticulture skills

Students travel directly to REACH sites or are collected by minibus.We ensure that all students receive health and safety training to a high standard and are able to carry out ‘on the

job’ risk assessments.

What we do for benefactors

Our students need to start giving to society. This gives them a sense of achievement, pride, responsibility and self esteem. While giving they are also learning 'real' skills. Financial contributions from our benefactors go a long way in supporting the work of REACH.

We train students so that they can undertake specific tasks required by outside organisations that invite us onto their sites.

We are happy to work for any organisation, as long as the activities we undertake will have a positive impact on the community. Examples might include managing vegetatation along footpaths, growing vegetables for ‘lunch clubs’, building retaining walls and restoring dry-stone walls.

How we support ourselves

Remember, our assets are locked which means we CANNOT MAKE A PROFIT.All money earned by REACH is reinvested into facilities for students or used to reduce fees for benefactors and

students.REACH generates income through selling products such as benches, bird

boxes and meals produced during cooking and catering courses.It charges small fees to benefactors for work carried out and for students

attending.REACH benefits from sponsorship arrangements and donations from

individuals.REACH receives grants from independent trusts, local authorities, the

European Union and LAA indicator lead agencies, such as reward grants given when REACH is able to demonstrate its contributions to achieving NI and

agency targets.Examples areNHS: improving public health; stopping smoking; improving sexual health; reducing the use of alcohol,

improving access and use of health services by marginalized communities.Learning Skills Council: meeting targets for ETE, including NEETGloucestershire County Council: educational awards; independence for vulnerable groups and use of volunteers.

Some of our partners

Our contact details

For any further information about REACH contact:Reach Gloucestershrie C.I.C., Box 223, Eastcombe, Glos GL6 7WXTelephone: 07826 857702