Youth Plus more information:

How it all began!

By Amanda Rugeley. October 2000.

My name is Amanda Rugeley. I am 16 years old. I have a brother who is 18 years old and has learning disabilities. While I have a busy social life, he has long holidays from College and nothing to do. It is difficult for him to go out locallyand to make friends. He decided to do something about this and a year ago, he, three friends and myself sat down at the computer and arranged a calendar of activities for the summer, such as video evenings, swimming and cinema trips. We asked the parents to take in turns to be at each activity. We passed this activity programme around and gradually interest from others increased. Our group grew in numbers and some of my own friends also joined in. When our numbers reached twenty we found somewhere to meet once a week to socialise and to arrange further activities.

We now have 70 members and meet at Ongar Youth Centre on Thursday evenings, where members come from Harlow, Brentwood, Loughton, Waltham Abbey, Chigwell, Epping, Chelmsford and even Upminster. About half of us have learning disabilities and half of us not. To join you must be between 14 and 25 years and agree to suggest and help organise [or be helped to organise] one activity a quarter. Apart from Thursdays, we do many other things. This year we have followed the London Leopards in their home basketball matches. We have been to Mersea Island Activity Youth Camp for a week and we have been Youth Hostelling. Also we have seen a London show, visited local attractions and accessed the Theatre Resource Centre in Ongar for Arts activities. We also arrange all sorts of other activities such as video evenings, barbecues, parties, shopping trips, and cinema etc. wherever anyone lives in Essex.

Our members themselves arrange activities for other members to attend. There is always something to do, somewhere to go, and someone to meet up with. My brother especially, now has lots of friends that he can ring up, and go on activities with, in the Community. We are forming a Committee so that we can apply for Charitable status. I am the Trainee Chairperson.

More About Youth Plus.

Youth Plus is established to facilitate the opportunity for young people between the ages of 14-25 years with learning disabilities or no disabilities, to develop circles of friends and to access social activities in the Community. The group aims to support it's members in creating and accessing social activities, in making friends and in forming peer groups.

Youth Plus is a quarterly calendar of community based activities, initiated by members, that members can attend. It's members can also meet weekly [at present at Ongar Youth Centre] to socialise. This is where they also plan their magazine and Calendar of activities on their computer. Activities can take place anywhere in Essex.
Membership is focused around facilitating the young people to contribute one activity suggestion for the calendar and to participate in organising it, at least once a year. Family members must be willing to support their young people in this, and to contribute to the running of Youth Plus by helping on a rota at least once a year or by contributing to transport needs on trips. Some young people themselves can contribute as a buddy to those less able on activities, or by joining our volunteer training project for the Group.

With our internet access to the regularily updated calendar of community based activities all over Essex, the project now has the potential to reach very large numbers of young people.

Youth Plus is a totally voluntary project and is not a provision for young people. It aims to encourage young people with and without disabilities to access the community and to provide for themselves. Accessability, inclusion, independence, and empowerment, we believe, meet local stratgies for health and social care. This project is monitored by how effective it is in enabling young people with and without disabilities, to be able to build social opportunities for themselves and to establish circles of friends.

Brenda Rugeley. May 2004.

Interested? Collect your joining pack from Brenda Rugeley. 01277 363307
brugeley@youthplus.net

+ Click here for a membership form