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Visit our website www.pro-actionherts.org

Welcome to our September—October 2018 ENews and our special 10 year anniversary edition!

Where have ten years gone? We’re really pleased to be celebrating such a wonderful milestone at Pro-Action and are thrilled to be sharing it with our Members.

We would like to update you on a change to our strategy. We have decided to focus our work in three core areas: Safeguarding, Quality Assurance and Well-being & Resilience. Our Membership offer, Adult Training and YAMA opportuni-ties for young people will be the ways in which we deliver our services to meet these focuses. (more information pg.9)

There is plenty for you to catch up on in this special edition and what with Oc-tober proving to be a bumper-packed month for us, we better let you get on.

Thank you to all our Members, youth leaders , volunteers and the children and

young people of Hertfordshire for being with Pro-Action for the last ten years.

Let’s hope the next 10 years are even more brilliant.

Cheers everybody!

Pro-Action Newsletter September—October 2018

We welcome all feedback from you, our mem-

bers, so please email, call or pop in if you have

anything to discuss.

Our Membership Team:

Lucy Ockendon—membership@pro-actionherts.org

Tracy Wilkins (Out of School Lead) - tra-cy.wilkins@pro-actionherts.org - 07557 562605

Sue Topping (Quality Lead) —sue.topping@pro-actionherts.org—07827 947670

For safeguarding queries please contact Lucy di-rectly & one of the team will get back to you.

Visit https://www.pro-actionherts.org/news for

news in the world of youth and children in

Hertfordshire.

Follow us on twitter @ProActionHerts Like us on

facebook ProActionHerts

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This October, we will be celebrating our ten year anniversary as a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of children and young people in Hertfordshire. Since our inception in 2008, we have supported over 250 organisations representing 20,000 children and young people, 2,500 volunteers and 1,000 full and part-time paid staff.

We are incredibly proud of achieving this milestone and thank all of our Members, partners, trustees, staff and volunteers for their support over the years.

The youth sector is very much influenced by the times. Through-out the years Pro-Action has delivered support to an array of voluntary, public and private organisations that meet the needs of children and young people’s wide interests and tastes. This means our engagement with our Members is an integral part of our identity- and one which influences how we support present and future generations.

We have witnessed many changes in Pro-Action over the past decade. Now reaching our tenth year, we thought it would be the ideal time to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane and look back on our highlights.

Despite being a relatively young charity, Pro-Action has a long steeped history tied to the youth sector having been formed by two major youth organisations- Herts Association for Young People (HAYP) and Herts Council for Voluntary Youth- merging together. Initially known as Herts Association for Boys’ Clubs, HAYP formed during a period of ‘social action’ in the 1930’s. Youth clubs focused mainly on encouraging health and discipline amongst boys especially in boxing.

During the Second World War, club members co-operated with the war effort, serving at canteens, aiding with evacuation and building makeshift schools.

The 1950’s and 60’s saw a huge cultural shift, with the invention of ‘teenagers’ and widespread popularity in the youth club movement.

However, the following 1970’s and 80’s saw challenging times as youth unemployment increased. Youth clubs now invested in helping young people in to work by offering volunteering op-portunities to develop employability skills.

In the early 1990’s Herts Association of Boys’ Clubs expanded its demographic to involve girls and was renamed HAYP.

The youth sector also revised its approach in helping children and young people, with emphasis now placed on personal and social development to enable them to integrate as valued mem-bers of society.

This was also when the Herts Council for Voluntary Youth Ser-vice emerged as an umbrella group of county wide organisations before consolidating to form Pro-Action Hertfordshire.

Since then, Pro-Action continues to support youth and children clubs, training club leaders and providing networking opportuni-ties for our Members to engage with each other.

We also ran Young People’s Training for many years, qualifying

young people in Leadership & Teamwork skills, through an array

of residential courses and dance workshops.

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Sophie Phillips, who is now one of our Trustees, expressed

how being involved with Pro-Action whilst growing up inspired

her. She attended some of our first ever Young People’s Train-

ing courses! She said: ‘I think Pro-Action makes a massive

difference to young people, particularly in an age where not a

lot of young people have somebody in their life to ask them

how they’re doing; how they’re feeling.’

Highlights of the last four years:

In 2014, we launched our YAMA (Youth,

Activity, Music and Arts) branded activities

The spectacular YAMA Festival, in 2015, introduced

the brand to children and young people across the

county, as a creative and developmental outlet-

with a little bit of wild fun thrown in!

We also launched our

current format of our

annual Pro-Action awards

evening in 2014, recog-

nising the growing

achievements of our

Members, their staff and

most importantly their

volunteers.

In 2014, we unveiled our

new ‘look’ and strapline-

The year 2017 was a busy one for Pro-

Action. We held our first YAMA Variety

Show of Music and Dance, displaying

the astounding wealth of talent of

young people living in Hertfordshire.

From gymnastics to singer/song writers

to clarinet musicians and mini-rockers,

the evening was entertaining in so

many different ways!

Earlier this year, we launched our

first ever YAMA Photography

Competition with the theme,

‘What makes you feel good?’.

This proved to be a huge success

with more than 50 entries from

children and young people aged 5

-19 across Hertfordshire.

We also spent

time relaunching

our website and

database, allowing

our members to

have an easier and

smoother way to

engage with us and

our services.

2014

2015

2014

2018

2017

2017

Now in 2018, we are looking ahead to provide more YAMA opportunities,

more training including a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Awareness

course, and our recent change to our strategy -more news to follow!

Pro-Action’s vision has always been about providing high quality opportunities

for children and young people in Hertfordshire to develop, grow and realise

their potential.

Our history attests to how far the youth and children sector has come but also

how much more we are yet to do.

This has always depended on working together with our Members in making

monumental changes that enrich the lives of children and young people- in

Hertfordshire- and wherever their journey takes them.

Here’s to the next 10 years!

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Our Patron, Lord Charles Cecil, has been involved with youth or-

ganisations for many years. He was the President of the Hertford-

shire Association of Youth Clubs before it merged with Hertford-

shire Association of Boys Clubs, to become the Hertfordshire As-

sociation of Young People (HAYP). When Pro-Action proceeded

HAYP, Lord Charles Cecil took on the role of Patron which he has

held ever since.

Lord Charles was brought up in Hertfordshire and Dorset. He has

always been in the financial world, banking, investment, investment

management and private equity, and has co-founded two success-

ful companies in this field.

Lord Charles Cecil is very fond of Hertfordshire, its history and

people. He was the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire in 2011.

For our special edition, we

caught up with Lord Charles

Cecil to discuss his role within

the youth sector and his hopes

for Pro-Action and its Members.

Having been Patron of the Hertfordshire Association of Youth Clubs

prior to Pro-Action, can you say a bit about what that role means

for you and over the period what significant changes have you wit-

nessed occurring to the youth sector in Hertfordshire in particular?

I have always wanted to support work in Hertfordshire with young

people and my family have been involved with The Hertfordshire

Association of Youth Clubs since its foundation. The big changes

during that time were the increasingly close collaboration be-

tween the County Council Youth Services and their financial sup-

port (which of course in tough times can be a vulnerability) and

Pro-Action having a much wider range of organisations that it

helps with advice and training.

What were the most challenging and rewarding aspects your role

as High Sherriff of Hertfordshire?

The most challenging aspect was in only one year to contact and

visit so many organisations around Hertfordshire. This included

voluntary organisations, the public sector, justice, law and order

and companies. What was most rewarding was to see how many

extraordinary people and organisations were doing wonderful

work. It was very humbling.

Being our Patron, what hopes do you have for the future of Pro-

Action and its members?

Pro-Action gives Hertfordshire essential support for its young peo-

ple. It has a great and dedicated team. My hope is that it will

flourish in giving support and advice to even more youth organisa-

tions in Hertfordshire and that its vital work is more widely recog-

nised. I hope that our Members in their turn, with Pro-Action’s

support will, go on helping their own Members to have fun and

learn to work well together. Times are always changing and it will

be important for all of us to spot the changes and adapt to

them.

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YAMA 2018: To celebrate our 10 year anniversary, we will be holding an exclusive YAMA event on Saturday 6 October 2018 to mark the occasion. Youth groups from all over the county are invited to take part in an afternoon of fun and games. Children and young people aged 11- 19 (or up to age 24 for those with Learning Diffi-culties and Disabilities) will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities to set their energetic and creative sides free! There will be an inflatable obstacle course, arts and crafts, a nerf war zone and for sport fa-natics- a football arena- and lots more! It promises to be a celebratory Saturday bonanza not to be missed and it’s all FREE! To book your group to attend, please contact Jo on email: yama@pro-action@herts.org or call on 07841032139/ 01707 276859. A £40.00 refundable deposit will be required.

Save the Date: Pro-Action have partnered with charity, Herts Young Homeless, who are also one of our Mem-bers, for our first ever charity Quiz Night on Friday 12 October 2018, at the Dutch Market Place, Hatfield AL9 6ND. We are inviting all quiz enthusiasts to join us for this fantastic FUNdraising event, in an effort to raise as much support and awareness to the issues surrounding homelessness for young people in Hertfordshire. Herts Young Homeless (HYH) focuses on preventing homelessness in Hertfordshire by empow-ering and supporting vulnerable young people aged 16-24 who are at risk of, or are experienc-ing homelessness. Funds raised from this event will help HYP to continue providing its vital ser-vice in educating people on how to move on from difficult situations in their lives and find stability by addressing their mental health issues and housing needs. To book your team visit: www.hyh.org.uk

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September is the classic month of ‘busy-ness’ for most families as children settle down for the new school year and summer is supposedly over, as we return to work from annual leave. This can be a hectic time for most people, having to juggle responsibilities at school, work and home means we have very little time to focus on our physical and mental health and wellbeing. This can be a challenging time for children and young people too. Spending the majority of the day in class-rooms and then clamouring home to our laptops, ipads, phones, games consoles and TV’s often means the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day target falls to the wayside. Such distractions often result in children and young people missing out on the positive benefits of engaging in physical sports and activity. Studies have shown that children and young people who socially partake in sports are happier, healthier and perform better in school. This is due to children and young people feeling more productive and motivated in class, and also becoming more confident in their abilities. This is where our Members, youth staff and volunteers, can encourage children and young people to put their best foot forward in approaching the new academic year with a refreshed outlook. Here is a current listing of some of the projects and activities promoting health, fitness and wellbeing, for children and young people across Hertfordshire.

Wellbeing Wednesday Youth Point

Lower High Street, Watford, WD17 2EL 5.30pm - 8pm.

For young people aged 13-17 in need of support with

emotional wellbeing.

Bridges 2 Beats

XC Centre, Jarman Park, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 4JS,

Monday 6.30pm–8.30pm Breaking down barriers and

reducing isolation through music.

Helping Hands - Youth Council

West Hyde Young People’s Centre, Old Uxbridge Road,

Maple Cross WD3 9XL Wednesday 6pm - 8pm For young

people aged 13-17 in Three Rivers.

Skate Park Project

Link Drive, Hatfield Saturday 12pm - 2pm For young peo-

ple aged 13-17 in the Hatfield area.

Zoo Café Project

11a Ware Road, Hertford, SG13 7DZ Tuesday 7.15pm -

9.15pm For young people aged 13-17 in Hertford.

Pickleball

Ware U3A Wodson Park Leisure Centre, Ware Thursday 2

-4pm, £4. Pickleball is a fun sport played with a paddle

and a plastic ball that combines elements of badminton,

tennis, table tennis and squash.

Parkrun in Hertfordshire

For young people (aged 4-14), Pinehill Junior Run, Hitchin, every Sunday 9am,Free. To find out

more: www.parkrun.org.uk

Health, Fitness and Wellbeing

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Burns Night

2018

Robert Burns (1759-1796)

We hold many of our own fundraising events to garner support

for future projects. It provides us the excellent opportunity to

spread the word about Pro-Action, what we do, who we sup-

port and ultimately, raising awareness of initiatives being run to

help children and young people in Hertfordshire.

Early this year we held our very own Burns Night to celebrate the enduring legacy of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. On Saturday 27th January 2018, friends of Pro-Action were invit-ed to an exuberant get-together at Hatfield House . The black tie and tartan event also hosted a charity auction & raffle. There were some amazing contributions offered by spon-sors and guests had the opportunity to win a range of eye-appealing prizes.

At the auction, those who were fortunate or persistent enough, walked away with prizes including tickets to see Top Gear live, a signed Manchester United football shirt and a week in a holiday cottage in Druidsmoor Anglesey, North Wales. Guests bid generously-and enthusiastically- for the exclusive collection of prizes raising a grand £7,500. Our raffle also saw lucky dips which raised funds of more than £1,000. The evening raised more than £10,000 in total, an astounding sum invested in supporting causes for children and young peo-ple in the county. Guests were then treated to a traditional haggis supper fol-lowed by a well-known Scottish folk dance reels , with music played by the Caledonian Reelers band. Thank you to all our guests who contributed to this event and making it a memorable and unique occasion. The funds raised from the night have been injected in to providing opportunities for young people to develop skills and enhance their wellbeing, most notably the YAMA 2018 event. This event, to be held on 6 October 2018, will mark our 10 year anniversary celebration. We are inviting youth groups across the county for an afternoon of fun, laughter and games. This will provide young people a creative outlet to explore new adventures, engage in sports and interact with our other Mem-bers. This event would not be possible without the wonderful efforts of the planning group led by Louise Landman, one of our trus-tees and her friends, and of course our guests at Burns Night. Fundraising is vital aspect of our growth and development in offering young people in Hertfordshire to realise their potential. We just hope the young people will enjoy it as much we will!

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Quality Assurance : New Ambition Modules

We encourage all our members to complete a nationally recognised Quality Assurance award: ‘Ambition Quality.’ This is accredited by Ambition UK, of which we are members, and are specifically designed for groups working with children and/or young people. Our members have the opportunity to work towards achieving Am-bition Quality awards available over four levels, with each award remaining valid for up to 3 years and a re-accreditation process available at each stage. As well as this, we also have two NEW Ambition ‘stand-alone’ or

‘bolt on’ modules available: AQ/V-Inspired Social Action this has been designed to support or-ganisations to develop high quality social action work with young people and is structured to correspond to the 6 Principles of good social action developed by Generation Change. This can be com-pleted independently or bolted on to First Steps or Bronze (registration cost £80 stand-alone). AQ Playwork this helps organisations working with children, in a playwork environment, assess the quality of their provision and has been structured to correspond with recognised Playwork Princi-ples. It can be completed independently or bolted on to First Steps or Bronze. It can also replace sections one and two of AQ bronze for organisations who only deliver playwork (registration cost £80 stand-alone). If you would like to participate in this excellent accreditation oppor-tunity, and have the chance of receiving a grant on completion, please contact the team now for further information, advice and guidance membership@pro-actionherts.org

If you have any Member news to share, whether it’s to promote your activities or celebrate your successes, email communications@pro-actionherts.org & let us know, so we can print it in our next edition.

Safeguarding

DBS Update: DBS Checks are required for any person working regularly and unsupervised with children and young people. Pro- Action is registered as an umbrella body of DBS, which ena-bles us to process DBS checks for our Members, their staff and vol-unteers.

As of 3 September 2018, there has been an update on the DBS Service regarding checking identi-ty of a person applying for a DBS Certificate. However, to ensure a smooth transition, the old guidelines will run in parallel until 3 December 2018. They will then cease to ap-ply and only the revised ID check-ing guidance will be valid. For further details on changes please visit our website: ww.pro-actionherts.org/news/update-from-dbs

The UK Youth awards is dedicated to shining the spotlight on the amazing work that is done by those involved within the youth sector. ‘We love to hear stories of the fantastic work being done in the network, and to celebrate inspiring individuals and out-standing organisations on a national level. The UK Youth Awards aim to put the spotlight on these incredible stories to raise awareness of the vital role youth work plays in em-powering young people with skills for the future and helping them engage with volunteering, training and employment.’- UK Youth There are three categories: Young Person of the Year, Youth Organisation of the Year and Youth worker of the Year. Send your application in by Monday (12:00pm), 1st October 2018. Shortlisted organisations will be invited to the UK Youth Awards on Tuesday 13th November. For more information visit: www.ukyouth.org