THE HIVE YOUTH ZONE
All the latest news and updates from Wirral ’ s ground-breaking charity youth hub …
Many of you may already know about the stellar work going on at The Hive Youth Zone , whilst some of you may have spotted their colourful , state-of-the-art hub on Bright Street and passed it off as ‘ just another youth club .’
In fact , the award winning children ’ s charity based at the impressive purpose-built centre in the heart of Birkenhead provides activities and experiences for young people from across the borough . Since opening in 2017 the Youth Zone has had over ½ million visits from members age 8 – 19 ( up to age 25 for young people with a disability ) and has raised aspirations , improved health and wellbeing , enhanced prospects and increased the confidence and self-esteem of literally thousands of young people . The impact of the pandemic on young people cannot be underestimated , and the support that is offered at The Hive is needed more than ever before .
Wirral Life caught up with The Hive ’ s Head of Youth Work , Gill Pleavin , to find out more about their inspirational work and vital out-reach services …
I started at the Hive in back in March 2017 initially as Enterprise and Employability Co-ordinator having previously worked for The Prince ’ s Trust charity . I became Head of Youth work two years ago and now oversee our full delivery programme , manage our passionate team of youth workers and drive specific , targeted programmes such as Get a Job and Inspiring Futures .
The Hive is a safe , supportive and inspirational place for young people between the ages of 8-19 and up to 25 for those with additional needs . It provides a secure environment where young people can come and enjoy a minimum of 20 activities a session and helps them to raise their aspirations and grow in confidence . More than anything , it ’ s a place where there is always someone to talk to .
It is so much more than just a youth club , as along with our regular sports and arts activities we also support young people with employability , enterprise opportunities , resilience and confidence building projects . We support young people with their mental well being and over 70 % of our staff are Mental Health first-aiders . We have the knowledge to signpost young people to useful external agencies who can assist with a range of issues including help with housing needs , advice around sexual health , domestic violence and support for young carers . Every evening our team delivers a minimum of 20 engaging activities including climbing , boxing , gym , dance , drama , basketball , football , cooking , hairdressing , music , art , media , gardening , rugby , badminton , sewing club , trampolining and gymnastics .
We also run a vast range of weekly projects covering a wide range of needs such as our ground-breaking Lemonade project which helps to build confidence and resilience .
Our Inspiring Futures programme helps young people who have disengaged with school and we look at ways of helping them to reengage and find what inspires them .
There literally is something to suit every young person – whatever their individual dream , goal or interest . We have numerous projects which are shaped by the young people themselves including our super Snowcamp which offers members the chance to learn basic skiing and snowboarding skills . We also have Lyrics & Flow which aims to help coach budding songwriters , and Plant to Plate where we teach young people how to plant and grow edible crops in our allotment - right through to picking , cooking and creating healthy meals from scratch .
Our popular Hiveability session which runs every Sunday morning has been specifically designed for young people with additional needs . We encourage and support inclusion to help empower our young people to become independent , grow in confidence and fulfil their dreams and ambitions .
My role is so rewarding – I could literally talk for days about the amazing young people we work with and the incredible work our team undertakes on daily basis .
To see young people grow in confidence and reach their potential is a real privilege . We even have young people who have been with us since we opened who now work for us as youth workers . By recognising their potential we have been able to develop their skills to enable them to achieve that goal . It ’ s such a privilege to work at The Hive – I literally can ’ t wait to get to work every day !’
16 wirrallife . com