All Saints Youth and Community Project

Our project is based at the Pontefract Family Centre in Central Pontefract. This is a community-based project committed to offering open access to the community as an expression of Christian service, irrespective of age, gender, creed, ethnic origin, orientation or social background.

All Saints Youth and Community Project
Pontefract Family Centre
4 Harropwell Lane
Pontefract
West Yorkshire 
WF8 1QY

Contact: Helen Bryant (project worker); Reverend Vic Iwanuschak(manager); Mick Doolan (support worker)  telephone: 01977 706932; e-mail: heloonsplace@yahoo.co.uk

A Joseph Rank Trust Youth or Adult? project 2002-2007

The agency is a Christian based project with focus on community spirit and pride. With the withdrawal of practically all secular youth provisions in the area, the church of All Saints seized the opportunity to begin its own youth initiative, which has now been supported by the Joseph Rank Benevolent Trust.

The project provides a drop-in youth club on Thursday evenings for 11-16 year olds. It is somewhere for the young people of the area to go with activities like pool, internet access and DJing. It also offers a friendly approachable information source with the help of the adult workers. The project also runs Sunday Live, which is a church based group for children aged 5-11 years.

The project works closely with other agencies and schools within the area, from visiting local schools to liaising with secular youth agencies and everyone in between. The project is represented on a regular Interagency group which meets to inform all agencies of the work being carried out in the area. From drugs workers to health visitors, everyone can keep in touch with the work of each agency and share good practice. The project is a part of the North Pontefract Partnership, a group of volunteers who have the community at heart to try and improve it.

Thanks to the Rank funding, as a project we can keep the drop-in running and continue to work with the young people in a new and creative way. Recently, we have set up a local under 16’s football team, an after school Youth Alpha group, and at the start of the summer, we ran a week of activities and sports for the children and young people of North Ponte, including a rock climbing adventure at a climbing wall in Leeds and an ice-skating trip to Doncaster. In this new academic year there are plans for a performing arts group, increased input into the local high schools and college (from lunch groups to lessons to inclusion work), and also the development of a safe place where young people can explore their own spirituality. There is also the possibility of a residential in this October ½ term.

Project aims

With the commitment of the Rank Foundation and ongoing funding, we will be able to continue the work we have begun within the community. The aims of the project include:

To develop initiatives that enable young people to develop, take responsibility and make informed choices in life

To help them in informed decision making by building up life experiences through exposing them to other people, places and ideas.

To help them build up a sense of self-esteem.

To provide a safe, friendly environment for young people to meet.

To continue working with other agencies towards a common aim.

To build on existing relationships within the younger members of the church family.