Aloof Yoof

(Managed by Sunlight Development Trust)

Every Child Matters outcomes met:

• being healthy

• staying safe

• enjoying and achieving

• making a positive contribution

Aloof Yoof / Sycamore Youth clubs work with young people aged 8-16 years. Currently youth clubs operate in Gillingham (Sunlight Centre), Horsted (Davis Estate Community Centre) and Chatham (White Road Community Centre). Support is also given to young people in Luton as needs and opportunities arise.

Each club is represented by young people who take full responsibility to organise activities which include taking subs, keeping attendance records and running healthy eating tuck shops. Activities include sports, arts, music and dance, health and a variety of workshops as well as outdoor social events.

Former youth club members and volunteers from the community attend and provide support to the clubs, working together with the young people with the aim to take over the management and running of the youth clubs in time.

These clubs have given children the chance to develop, build confidence and experience new and exciting
activities. They have experienced and enjoyed fresh foods they would not normally eat. The number of young people (412) taking part in physical exercise activities has doubled. Nuisance behaviour in the local community has decreased by 35%. Children are more proficient at IT (accessed by 470 young people); 64 have attended summer trips to learning locations such as aquariums and wild life parks; 343 have attended music/ broadcast based activities. Children are volunteering in other services; 6 are presenting shows on Radio Sunlight; 3 have secured funding for their own initiative to extend accessibility of services in Gillingham; 2 have obtained funding to develop their own training project for other young people.

Impact Evaluation(86KB)

Independent Evaluation - Full Report(137KB)   Independent Evaluation - Summary(49KB)