Plenty of Headspace at Café IT
C@fé-IT an update. The excellency continues:…
C@fe-IT has been running successfully for 6 years now; readers may recall the
report in GF magazine No 2 in June 2006. The project has continued to develop
and below is a brief update on progress and development of a new initiative,
which is changing the way in which the
service is delivering.
HeadSpace ……..”Feeding the Mind”:
In August 2006 Young people at C@fe-IT were asked to participate in a
consultation process headed up by The Reading Agency in partnership with
Libraries, to look at the viability of setting up a ‘Book Bar’ in which young
people encourage other young people to read. 15 young people turned up on the
strength of an informal and open invitation and fully participated in the
process, which ended up with a unanimous vote of confidence.
Further down the road, a few months later, a further consultation took place
with similar
numbers to look at potential branding of the project and the possibility of
Lottery Funding. The young people played a key role in the development of the
project with the eventual name being suggested from the group of young people at
C@fe-IT themselves.
The whole initiative culminated in a hugely successful launch in September 2007
with a host of VIPs and almost 50 young people giving the project a tremendous
‘thumbs up’. A recent
OFSTED inspection looks, to all intents and purposes, (Awaiting official feed
back as we speak) to have recognised the potential of the project.
HeadSpace teamed up with the Folkestone Literary Festival last
November and sponsored two events, which proved exceedingly popular amongst the
Headspace membership. The first involved a discussion around the work and a
reading of Colin Foreman, a writer of teenage fantasy stories and also the same
to a wider audience by Rick Ealey the Head of Computer Graphics on the Film
‘Stardust’.
C@fe-IT also continues to offer a service of information and advice through many
innovative ways including
-
Informal daily drop-in sessions
-
Under 16’s youth club now taking place at ‘The Shed’
-
The young people instigated project HYWIC supporting
youths with confusion around their sexuality and promoting anti-discrimination
-
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
-
The ever popular’ Warhammer group the Folkestone Slayers
which is still going strong in another partnership scheme with Folkestone
Library.
In this nationally recognised year of ‘Reading’ C@fe-IT is
proving to be on the ball when meeting the needs of young people. Future
initiatives include a book and film club, voluntary community service by young
people in the HeadSpace section of the Folkestone Library and a
further collaboration with the Folkestone Literary Festival.
If you want to know more about HeadSpace or young people who would be interested
please contact Steve Chambers at C@fe-IT 01303 850005
Article from Go Folkestone Newsletter March 2008
