Lifetracks Project

Rathbone Belfast

What do we do:

Youth engagement:

We have a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who will engage with individuals and groups at a street based detached level and seek to initiate and build relationships with these young people and identify their needs and help them develop programmes that are individual to their needs

http://vimeo.com/38356938#at=0

So what’s it Like undertaking detached work?

Many of the young people Rathbone engage have significant barriers in their lifes and Rathbone seeks to help young people over come this both with support from specialist

professional staff and external agencies

Areas covered include:

•Educational underachievement

•Mental health

•Offending behaviour

•Drug and Alcohol addiction

•Homelessness

•Unemployment

•Financial crisis

•Grief

•Family breakdown

•Social isolation

•LGBT issues

Pro’s

•Get right to the heart of were young people

are

•Young people can build relationships in a surrounding they feel

comfortable

•View of their lives which you don’t

always see in a club setting

•Don’t have to search for issues and needs

for youth provision as we meet them face to

face

Cons

•Moral dilemmas(Involving social

services/police/parents/community

•Risk of Violence/Uncontrolled

environment

•Staff turnover

•Some young people don’t want support and can tell you to clear off in not so

nice a manner

•Fifth of the young people met signed up for

programmes/support