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YMCA Youth Celebration Day

Peterborough is booming: a vibrant, positive place to live, full of opportunities. But if we want it to stay that way, we must continue to nurture the city’s most treasured asset – our young people. YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough are getting together with children and young adults from across the city to present Youth Celebration Day, a unique event that promises to inspire, motivate – and entertain!

During the mid-year lull that is the school and academic summer holidays, something fantastic will take place in Cathedral Square – the kids have got plans to really liven things up! Youth Celebration Day, organised and presented by YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and young people from across the city, is an event that aims to entertain and inspire children and young adults from different backgrounds, religions and communities from across the city, with opportunities to take part in a whole host of activities. The day promises to be an exciting and fully inclusive experience, during which young people, their families and friends will have the chance to showcase their skills and talents, and have fun! Participants can talk to local education experts, employers and support services that can help them now or in the future, and there will also be a full youth-led entertainment programme, including dance performances, live music, theatre and the arts. Shopaholics, foodies and thrill-seekers will also find retail stalls, food stands and fairground rides!

Connecting with businesses
Leaving school can be a bewildering time. Nationally, employment opportunities have been less than enticing recently, as service jobs fail to fully pick up the slack left by a floundering manufacturing industry, and student debt and lack of well-paid post-grad jobs puts many off taking the plunge into university life. The media also likes to paint a gloomy picture, moaning that businesses can’t find enough properly qualified young people to fill their vacancies. But Peterborough is in an enviable position, bucking the employment trend and enjoying fantastic growth and prosperity. Youth Celebration Day is a great opportunity for successful businesses and bright, highly motivated school leavers to get together, sharing their goals and experience and helping the city to continue thriving. The Education, Enterprise and Careers zone will put businesses and young people together so each can hear clearly and positively what the other has to offer. There will be opportunities for questions and answers, for businesses to say exactly which skills and qualifications they expect to be high-demand in the future, reveal practical expectations for pay and work benefits, and for young people to see which career path they might like to take, and if any of the businesses present fit the bill as potential future mentors or employers.

Get involved, make a difference – and boost your CV!
There would be no point in a Youth Celebration Day if it didn’t include making the most of what young people can offer! YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough are putting out the call for young people from across the city to volunteer in helping run the event, putting their skills in organisation, administration and operations to good use. Volunteers will have valuable input into the big day, and in turn receive fantastic experience of what it’s like to put together a large-scale event with lots of different components. Definitely one for the CV!

With so many activities planned, Youth Celebration Day would be a must-go event even without the added bonuses of learning and networking. Peterborough is leading the UK in terms of economic growth, investment in people and places, training and business opportunities. This fun-filled and inclusive day will show how the city is leading the way with youth engagement and commitment, too

Why YMCA?
The motto for the World Alliance of YMCAs is ‘empowering young people’, and it’s this outlook that’s central to YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough’s mission in the region. Not only do their teams organise housing for young people, additional services range from health and fitness facilities to training and education. As such, Youth Celebration Day feels exactly right for an institution that’s achieving so much in partnership with young people across the county, and whose ambitious vision for the future includes the eradication of youth homelessness in Cambridgeshire; an opportunity for all young people to engage in positive activity; and full social inclusion for young people. On the ground, meeting with and supporting motivated, talented and tenacious young people every day, the YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough staff know that an event like this will be extremely useful – and enjoyable! – for the youth of the city and beyond.

Opportunities for Peterborough
A day dedicated to young people can’t happen in isolation – that’s why Youth Celebration Day offers fantastic opportunities for businesses and organisations from across Peterborough. Not only can businesses get involved at the Education, Enterprise and Careers zone, they can also get involved as sponsors. City businesses and organisations will be invited to support the event through a range of sponsorship packages, including gold (participation in all marketing activity before and during the event); silver (a range of marketing activity, including partner marquee space and stand); and bronze (a range of marketing activity on the day).

So much to do!
On the day, the space in front of the Cathedral will be buzzing with different activities and opportunities for fun and learning. There will be an Arts, Culture, Health and Wellbeing zone, which will be a focal point for some of the expert-led masterclasses taking place throughout the day. There will be a Games Green, a picnic area and food court, as well as a main stage for performances from local and regional talent groups, a shopping village and a play zone. For younger children, there will be a toddler stage and kids garden, as well as specially tailored crafts and activities.

Youth Celebration Day
Saturday, 20 August 2016, Cathedral Square, Peterborough.
To get updates about the day and more, follow YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough on Twitter @YMCA_CambsPBoro and Facebook facebook.com/YMCACambs&PBoro  

For more information on how to get involved and/or to become a sponsor, contact Paul McAlinden at or 01733 373175

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