The YMCA in Peterborough

[prev] … struggling with. Sadly one thing we have noticed is that the demand on our services is getting bigger and the age of our clients younger.

DO YOU THINK THAT’S DOWN TO SOCIETY BEING A MORE STRESSFUL PLACE OR CUTS BEING MADE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR?
It’s a bit of both. By and large life is more stressful. We tend to put young people under more pressure earlier on, and there are a lot more social pressures such as social media. But it’s also clear the economy has been going through a difficult time, so mental health services are raising the threshold of the people they can help. This means a lot more people aren’t getting the help they need.  Eight or nine years ago we recognised that the Government was working on a credit card principle and that at some point they’d have to stop spending and start paying it all off. The YMCA started to prepare for that by shifting our income away from grants, because we knew that sooner or later they’d come to an end.

THAT’S GREAT FORESIGHT ON YOUR PART!
I think most people saw the writing on the wall. We always knew that building your charity around Government was a bit of a false economy because there are also policy changes – one moment young people are the apple of the eye and the next they’re not. That was part of our thinking behind taking over The Cresset in Peterborough. It now serves as a social enterprise in that the money generated there helps to subsidise our work – all the profit goes back into the YMCA. We want to look at more social enterprises, using our clients to do some of the work. It would result in a double whammy – we create opportunities for our clients to work and be a part of something and hopefully it will generate income to plough back into the charity.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR YOUTH OFFENDING PROGRAMME. TOO MANY PEOPLE WRITE OFF YOUNG OFFENDERS BUT BY ENGAGING WITH THEM YOU’VE PROVED YOU CAN LOWER REOFFENDING RATES, WHICH OFFERS A REAL SERVICE TO SOCIETY AS WELL AS THE YOUNG PEOPLE YOU ARE HELPING.
From time to time young people commit offences and are given a custodial sentence. These are often quite short sentences, but the downside is that they don’t get any support – they’re just kept safe and then released. Clearly what happens is that, with no other options, they go on to reoffend. So we wanted to break that cycle. Our No Cracks programme meets the young person before they’re released from prison or a youth offending institute. We talk to them about what they want to achieve then physically meet them at their release. They are then intensively supported. We look at their housing needs, whether they want to get back into education or training, or how to gain employment. By supporting them and talking to them about why it was they offended in the first place they are less likely to reoffend. It’s a benefit then to society and because it’s very costly to keep young people in prison it frees up resources that can hopefully be used for things more positive than prison. We’re really proud of the No Cracks project.

SO YOU SHOULD BE! IT’S A NO-BRAINER. YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT ON THE HEALTH AND FITNESS SIDE YOU ENGAGE WITH GROUPS SOMETIMES OVERLOOKED BY COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS. TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS.
The YMCA offers specialist classes, for example stroke classes. We have really qualified staff who understand some of the special needs that some groups have. Take a stroke victim who may have lost strength on one side of their body as an example: our classes can introduce simple exercises that begin to have a very big impact on their lives – simple things like being able to pick up a mug of tea with a weak hand. For those with a degenerative disease like MS we offer exercises that can delay the disease’s effects so that people can stay independent for longer. It’s all about making lots of small steps that combine to make a big difference.

THERE ARE SO MANY RESULTS THE YMCA HAS ACHIEVED ACROSS CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
It’s going to sound twee, but there isn’t a week that goes by when I don’t see something and think ‘wow, we’ve really made a difference to this individual or group of people’. So I don’t think there’s any one thing I could single out. One week I will be really proud of something then the next week I meet another client who has made a real change in themselves. It could be a No Cracks client who comes into the office over the moon because they’ve got a job – the buzz that gives you is incredible. And then there are those the YMCA has helped who come back to volunteer. That’s a wonderful circular thing; they’ve had some input from us and now they’re coming to give us theirs.

HAVING EXPERIENCED THE YMCA’S HELP FIRST HAND MUST MAKE THEM ALL THE BETTER AS A VOLUNTEER, BECAUSE THEY’VE SEEN IT FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
Absolutely. They know how being given a chance can have a really big impact and now they’re coming back to try and make an impact on someone else. It’s these sorts of things we can be really proud of. Of course, it’s not all success. We have people that reoffend or that we have to ask to leave our housing. But the successes far outweigh these cases. You can see the change in these young people, and that makes what we do pretty special.

THE YMCA WORKS!
The proof is in the pudding. These facts and figures highlight the positive and lasting impact that the YMCA has on young people. ■ 92% of young offenders don’t reoffend ■ 20% reduction in self harm and drug overdose ■ 70% of YMCA residents acquire meaningful life skills during their stay ■ 93% average occupancy in supported housing ■ Increased positive aspirations and attitudes ■ Reduced antisocial behaviour

COME AND GET INVOLVED!
The YMCA offers the opportunity for companies to partner with the YMCA and make a real difference while raising their own profile. A partnership with the YMCA helps employees to feel a part of their community, gain newskills and experience the incredible feel good factor that comes with helping others. Visit theymca.org.uk/corporatepartnerships to find out more. You can also volunteer with the YMCA in many ways, from becoming a board member to helping out on a project. Simply visit theymca.org. uk/volunteering or pop into one of the YMCA centres for a chat.

YMCA CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH Hayward House, Rightwell East, Bretton Centre, Bretton, Peterborough PE3 8DX.
T: 01733 373175

www.theymca.org.uk