At Carlisle Youth Zone (CYZ), we believe every young person deserves an equal chance to be seen, valued and supported to reach their potential. And that’s exactly what our Equal Chance project is all about. Now in its second year of a three-year programme, we are supporting young people aged 14yrs+ from our Inclusion Club to gain practical skills, grow confidence and develop a clearer sense of direction for their future.
Learning through creativity and fun
Equal Chance combines two strands of activity, both harnessing the trusted relationships established between young people and youth workers through our weekly Saturday morning Inclusion Club. In the youth club sessions themselves, young people have chance to take part in employability-themed workshops and one-to-one coaching sessions. Workshops cover topics specifically aligned to employability such as CV development, interview skills, setting goals and managing time, as well as developing confidence, communication, team work and problem solving.
Putting learning into action through real workplace experiences
The second strand of activity brings to life the skills learnt through a range of workplace visits and experiences. And this October Half Term, young people had the opportunity to visit two workplaces; Story Contracting and People First! Trying on hard hats, observing machinery in action, meeting teams and asking questions about everyday work were all part of the experiences which for many, offer a chance to picture themselves in a job, a team, or a role where their skills and ideas truly matter.
Young people taking part in Equal Chance have said
“I think there’s jobs out there for me”
“I now know more about work, in particular the process for gaining a job…filling in an application and going for an interview”
“I’m most proud of working with others…good communication is important”
”I would like to work there on the rail. I would do it for free”. One of the
Story staff told me ”you just need to contact them for work experience”.
“Food was lovely, and People First can put young people in touch with business people for work”
“I enjoyed my two visits and the trip to Story was ‘brilliant, I felt I could work there in an office role”.
Growing opportunities together
Equal Chance is only possible thanks to grant funding from The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation, alongside the generosity of many in the CYZ Patron Village. From delivering workshop session in Inclusion Club, to facilitating work-based taster sessions, together, we are growing new opportunities. Some members have already expressed interest in work experience placements with local employers next year – a fantastic sign that what starts as a spark of curiosity can become a real plan for the future!
As we look ahead to the third year of the programme, we are keen to hear from any of our Patrons wo are interested in taking part. A workshop can be 1 hour and a work-based taster session anything between 1 to 3 hours, and we are keen to offer as broad an experience as possible.
