Youth employment strategies
Insights from our Community of Practice
The spring Community of Practice event focused on how Foyers create employment and/or volunteering opportunities for young people. Held on 15th May, the event gathered Foyers in our network to explore innovative strategies to support young people to build their career pathways. The group delved into the issues around employing young people, sharing achievements and identifying hurdles. We were joined by Mark Bradshaw from YMCA Cheshire and Mark Watson from Salvation Army Homes who shared the different approaches their services are taking to open up opportunities for their residents.
The Community of Practice objectives aimed to assist Foyers in:
- Embracing transformative journeys in cultivating a workforce with lived experiences.
- Understanding the cultural shifts within Foyers, recognising obstacles and assessing impact.
- Reflecting on the challenges and progress in youth employment, sharing achievements and barriers to employment.
- Uncovering and sharing best practice, learnings and insights to enhance service delivery approaches.
Attendees told us the session was informative, giving them tools they could take back into their service to put into practice:
“Very good, and very informative. A lot of good ideas to use at our own project.”
“One thing I am taking away is, I will consider how much autonomy a resident will need to feel empowered when they take part in activities. How much can they plan/do for themselves.”
“The most valuable part of the CoP was hearing everybody's views and opinions on these issues. Looking outside of my own circle gives me better perspective on how I view my role.”
“I found the session extremely informative and useful. I can now go off and put some of these ideas into practice.”
Youth employment strategies
The group explored practical steps and best practices to engage young individuals effectively, including managing power dynamics, enhancing engagement strategies and upholding principles of fairness. Staff left feeling engaged, inspired, well-informed and equipped with actionable insights. To find out more about our Community of Practice events and how your Foyer can get involved, contact Issy at [email protected].