Our Universal Youth Work has been hugely successful following the lifting and easing of some lockdown restrictions. These changes have seen our members of staff communicate and interact with young people on a face-to-face basis which has had a beneficial impact on the young people that we work with, allowing us to provide them with additional improved opportunities, including weekly clubs and drop-in sessions.

We run a number of programmes throughout the week and staff at YMCA Tayside are impressed with the engagement and interest seen from young people so far. Each drop in session sees young people gain access to our facilities which includes gaming consoles, a pool table, arcade machines, music, chill out area, refreshments and more. All of these resources help us build better relationships with young people.

We have seen a significant amount of young people show up to our weekly drop in sessions, so much so that during our Friday night drop in we experience a queue of young people waiting outside our doors which is both a reassuring and rewarding experience.

Due to the varied number of drop in sessions that we host, there is something to suit every young person. For instance, we operate a junior drop in for young people in P5-S1. This drop in is ideal for young people who may be in the process of transitioning from primary school to high school who are eager to meet likeminded young people.

Likewise, each Wednesday we run a drop in and job club session. Like the Monday drop in, this session allows young people to make the most of our space and use our facilities. 

Young people have full access to the space and are enjoying the drop in element of our sessions. Our job club is also a great opportunity for young people to develop employability skills, work on CVs and further education applications.

Our Friday night drop in is perhaps our most successful session that we run and is aimed at young people who are in S3 and up. This drop in has plenty of music and great vibes where young people can relax and have fun with friends.

Overall, we are thrilled with how our universal youth work and drop in sessions have been received by young people. We are continuing to engage young people which is great and we look forward to continuing to provide young people with plenty of opportunities and lots of support, as made possible through funding from The Gannochy Trust & Perth and Kinross Council.