Want to Get Involved?

[sfhyouthforum]

Would you like to meet to discuss ways of making your area a better place?

I'd like to host an informal discussion about what we can do collectively to tackle the problems like:

advertising services to youth and their parents and guardians
poverty in Sydenham
after-school chess clubs
helping youth with maths and science
starting after-school book clubs
Looked-after children (that's children in care)
increasing fostering and adoption

Would you be interested? If so, would an evening be better or a weekend? If weekends, morning or afternoon, satruday or Sunday? We won't find a good week night I suspect, but if there are days that suit, then let me know!

Melissa

[JRobinson]

I'm happy to offer help with maths or science tuition.

please pm me.

[sfhyouthforum]

Great!

[s cheeseman]

I'd be interested, don't mind when the meet is.

[sfhyouthforum]

Brilliant. I will throw out some options after I check the availability for the Here For Good space on Thursday.

[Maria]

I will await the date of the meeting and then let you know

In the meantime, and as promised (have been away thus delay), I will fill in the direct debit form you pmd me and start making a monthly contribution. As you say, every little helps (or was it you Annie?)

Thank goodness we left the chicken discussion behind................

[Duncan491]

I will await the date of the meeting and then let you know

In the meantime, and as promised (have been away thus delay), I will fill in the direct debit form you pmd me and start making a monthly contribution. As you say, every little helps (or was it you Annie?)

Thank goodness we left the chicken discussion behind................

I will see when the meeting is and if I am able to attend. But in any case, like Maria, I am happy to make a contribution via direct debit.

Melissa - could you send the form to me? Thanks.

[sfhyouthforum]

Hi everyone, so as always it is a bit tricky trying to find a time when everyone is available. I am going to suggest Monday 11th June in the evening at 7.30pm at Here For Good, 17 Sydenham Road.

Is that good for most people? Half term out the way and all the bank holidays over.

[sfhyouthforum]

Regarding the standing order form, if you have online banking, our details are: Barclays Bank. Sydenham and Forest Hill Youth Forum sort code: 20-49-81 account number: 50934224.

I am pretty excited about this! I think we can put our minds together and come up with some major solutions.

I will also take time at the meeting to go through with you an understanding of the youth services and the issues with provision in Lewisham. For example, we have a high number or 'at risk' young people - meaing they are at risk of exclusion, abuse, and are vulnerable. We have a high number or unemployed young people, who are called NEET (Not in Education, Emplyment or Training). Lewisham has a worryingly and extremely high truancy rate for the UK, and not to mention pregnancy and STIs in young people.

With a tighter budget than ever and just 12 full time key workers to tackle this, Lewisham Council cannot afford to tackle these problems adequately. But The Forum can help. Local residents can help. We can collect small donations and ringfence them into Sydenham and Forest Hill Area.

We can build a Partnership between the Council -Residents-and Local Charities and Community Organisations whereby local people can give time or money to help professionals get to grips with the social problems and pump those resources in to the local area. Imagine if everyone on this Forum gave £2 a month? We would see dramatic shift every four weeks! Imagine if a quarter of us gave 2 hours to do community volunteering? Or mentored a child? You can only do a small amount, without worry of being roped into smoemthing bigger. We often feel like we don't have spare time or we are too tired to do something more, but actually the process is really energising. You will feel good about yourself and you will make someone feel good about who they are too.

So have a think: my email is mel@sfhyouthforum.org.uk my mobile is 07886116055

[Stefan]

Hi Melissa,

always read your posts with interest and donating since last year, good to see that you keep raising awareness and the £2 pounds are really not a lot to ask for, just wanted to check if this is open to everyone even just to listen and get up to date with what is going on or more a meeting for potential future volunteers, or both in fact?

[Annie.]

Hi Melissa,
I am happy to contribute the £2 a month,and I am aware of the hard work you do and the dedication you show,however at this point in time I do to have the time to contribute to you,but maybe in the future I can.
I would however urge people to show support either with a monthly contribution or any time they feel they can spare,well done on all your hard work and I wish you all well.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[JRobinson]

Monday 11th - it's in my diary!

[sfhyouthforum]

Stefan - thanks for funding us!!

Let's just have a general meeting and at the end if you think you have a role or can help in some way then that's wonderful and what I won't do to guilt anyone into taking on stuff, especially if they are already tight for spare time (promisio). So come and meet each other and talk about things - I think we all have a value and can do our bit.

So that's 7.30pm at Here For Good, 17 Sydenham Road, SE26 5EX

[sfhyouthforum]

Just a reminder that this evening we will be putting our thinking caps on. I have booked a space in Here For Good, at 7.30pm.

Just turn up and I will supply tea, coffee and snacks.

So that's 7.30pm at Here For Good, 17 Sydenham Road, SE26 5EX

Any problems, you can call me on my mobile 07886116055.

[sfhyouthforum]

So I held a meeting on Monday and I know there was football and rain and overall a small but dedicated turn out. Here are the notes:

Background: Lewisham children and young people's services received a £4.4 million cut and this will and is having a dramatic effect on the services offered to young people. Despite there being an extremely high and disproportionate rate of truancy and teenage pregnancy, a high number of NEET (Not in education, employment or training) young people, increased homelessness and at risk young people, Lewisham provides just 12 full time Key Workers. What I don't want, or think is helpful, is to slag off the government, especially when the idea of government as fixing everything from street lams to broken homes is impossible. We also have to muck in too. If local people gave £2, £5, £10 a month or what they can in time and volunteering, we could ring-fence that money to pay for community-funded posts that inject real value into local communities, supporting police, schools, smaller charities and community groups. But how can I convince local people to invest?

We also have a website that advertises services for free on a map www.sfhyouthforum.org.uk. Orgs and services have their own log in and can add/edit their info freely for free. How can we get more services to add themselves to it?

Notes from meeting:

£2 a month doesn't feel like a lot of money. It won't get people thinking that they are making a difference. Giving £2 on the street gives a real sense of good and gets endorphins going.

Why not have people signing people up in the street? Walk through the high street on a Saturday.

Get local organisations to add your website on their websites to get more traffic through.

Ask a volunteer to work from home a few hours a week and help organisations get their services on the directory: www.sfhyouthforum.org.uk/directory

Get on the boy scouts website or 'Boys Brigade".

Be on other forums such as SE23 forum.

Link Twitter and FB feeds to website.

Ask Sydenham Radio to advertise the fund. Make an advert about the fund.

Get posters up in libraries, swimming pool, on key rings.

Ask pubs if The Sydenham and Forest Hill Youth Forum can be their chosen charity and have coin jars in the pub.


Please vote for us at the Sydenham Assembly this evening! We are looking for funding to continue our Paint A Smile project! I'll be there if you want to meet me! x

[hazy]

extremely high and disproportionate rate of truancy and teenage pregnancy

could I just ask what you are basing this on?
because it isn't borne out by this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog ... ap-england

or this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog ... -wales-map

having said that, I agree with much of what you say - i'm just a "show me the evidence" kinda gal

[Chrise]

Having read your notes, please note that there is no such thing as 'Boy Scouts'. Scouts is open to boys and girls. (aged 6-25) Anyone interested in joining can register on the scout website http://www.scouts.org.uk. There are three Scout Groups in Sydenham and two in Forest Hill. Scouting in Lewisham has seen a real explosion over the past few years and new groups are opening across the borough. Likewise anyone interested in becoming an adult volunteer with the scouts can also register an interest via the scout website.

[sfhyouthforum]

Sorry about the 'Boys Scouts' - this was my typing up notes, thanks for adding the info on scouts. I know Cllr Liam Curran is very involved in scouts and came to visit me about using a similar 'mapping tool' like our website: www.sfhyouthforum.org.uk - to show the activity of scouts.

Re the truancy - you can get the info from the minutes of our last Forum meeting where Cllr Helen Klier – cabinet member for children and young people - spoke about the extremely high truancy in Lewisham.

Regarding teenage pregnancy rates, two years ago Lewisham had the third highest teen pregnancy rates in the whole of London. Even from the data source you sent me, there has been an increase in teen pregnancies in Lewisham: 235 conceptions for every 1,000 15-17 year olds in 2009 up now to 273 out of every 1,000.

If you want to speak to health care professionals or have a copy of the minutes from our Forum meeting (these forums are for anyone working with young people in Sydenaham, Forest Hill and Perry Vale wards) email me on mel@sfhyouthforum.org.uk.

Would anyone like to add any suggestions?

Here is a standing order form for anyone wanting to get involved: Many hands make light work. If we all gave a little bit, huge differences can be made. The projects we hope to commission will benefit not just the youth, but the wider community. Here's a link to the Standing Order Forum: https://docs.google.com/a/sfhyouthforum ... edit?pli=1

[sfhyouthforum]

Also, here is the wikitool for organisations to use to add your details to our website: https://docs.google.com/a/sfhyouthforum ... l9wUQ/edit

[sfhyouthforum]

Here is a brief presentation of The Sydenham and Forest Hill Youth Forum and what it aims and hopes to achieve: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6raMU ... lcwX01DUTA