Young people’s organisation is there ‘4Youth’

A LOCAL youth focussed charity, 4Youth, has been out and about Westbury this year. As part of their outreach work, detached youth workers have met with young people to offer advice and guidance about issues such as relationships, bullying and substance abuse. 

4Youth outreach workers go out in the town on a Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6pm to 8.45pm and meet young people in various public areas across the town – to find out where they will be meeting, follow their Instagram and Facebook at ‘4youthwestbury’. 

Gemma Holt, the lead youth worker for 4Youth in Westbury, told White Horse News, “My colleague Hayden Hubbard and I are youth workers who work for a small local charity called 4Youth (South West); we provide street-based (outreach) youth work to the young people across Westbury, meeting them across social spaces such as parks and places where they hang out. 

“We work with the young people we meet to offer advice, support and guidance about a range of issues that affect them such as relationships, bullying, school life, alcohol and substance use. We have a trolley with hot and cold drinks and some sports equipment which young people can use too. 

“So far this year we have run 22 detached/street-based youth sessions and met with 99 different young people, a total of 355 interactions. The young people in Westbury are very friendly and have welcomed us into their social circles and enjoy chatting to us; we have several groups of young people who we meet regularly.  

“We have invited Motiv8 (a substance misuse service for young people aged 11-18 in Wiltshire) to work with us and they will be coming out with us again in April to work with young people around alcohol and substance misuse.” 

Giving back to the community

4Youth also engage in a variety of activities with the young people, from something fun like football to benefiting the local community by completing a litter pick. 

Gemma added, “The young people enjoy having a kick about or trying out a challenge we set for them each week and have also helped to pick up litter in Penleigh Park too. We have a dodgeball session planned for the summer which will be run by Southwest Dodgeball and we will be supporting the upcoming POPCAN skate event in Penleigh Park.   

“We are out on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm to 8.45pm. We have an Instagram page @4youthwestbury where young people can message us to say where they would like to meet. We tend to meet young people in their chosen spaces of Penleigh, Grassacres and Chestnut Parks as well as the High Street.  

“We do also go to other parks across town and find that we meet young people at Leighton Recreation Centre in the summer months when the evenings are lighter. We wear blue hoodies and tops with our logo on so if you see us out and about, please come and say hello!” 

4Youth are a Melksham-based charity that works with children, young people and their families within Wiltshire. The charity offers many services, such as the outreach program mentioned above, but also drop-in counselling services as well as online counselling services via  www.teentalk.org.uk 

Stay up to date with 4Youth Westbury by following their Facebook and Instagram by searching ‘4Youth Westbury’. You can also email at westbury@4youth.org.uk or call on 01225 667 327.