Today (Monday 7 November) marks the start of Youth Work Week 2022 – an opportunity to celebrate youth work activity in Solihull, being delivered by a range of organisations including the voluntary and community sector.
Throughout the week some of the fantastic youth activities that take place in Solihull will be highlighted on social media.
Community groups working with young people in Solihull are encouraged to join the Youth Opportunities Board Solihull (YOBS), set up to bring together local youth organisations and provide a forum for networking, unity, and engagement.
A community led initiative, with the support of Solihull Council, YOBS aims to create more opportunities for young people in the borough by upskilling and attracting funding to the sector.
The Board gives leaders of youth organisations a space within which they can share ideas, resources, get peer support, highlight routes to funding and work together to ensure that young people have representation in key areas of influence. By empowering the workforce within the youth sector, YOBS has the goal of ensuring all young people in Solihull have the chance to access quality support.
Cllr Diane Howell, Cabinet Member for Communities & Leisure, said:
“As Youth Work Week gets underway, I want to encourage local youth groups and organisations to get involved with YOBS.
“It is a great opportunity for the sector to work together so that all our young people can thrive.
“Collaboration is so important, as all those involved in youth work will come across similar challenges and difficulties. YOBS provides a space to share experience and access peer support.”
The Youth Opportunities Board is holding its first Annual General Meeting on Thursday 24 November at Crabtree Hall, 5:30pm - 7:00pm. This is a chance to meet other organisations working in the borough with young people as well as getting to meet funders such as Children in Need.
Anyone interested in finding out more should email yobsolihull@gmail.com.
This year the theme of Youth Work Week is ‘A Festival of Youth Work’, which aims to celebrate the positive impact youth work has on young people in the present, and for the future. Find out more on the National Youth Agency website.