The Bus
The Youth Bus Project is a mobile youth provision in a double decked Bus, which creates a sense of time and location for the young person and is capable of meeting them where they are.
The Bus was kindly gifted to the Trust by Stagecoach. It is equipped with a large plasma screen TV for music DVDs and films, eight computer games consoles, a quiet chill out zone, and a games area.
The focus of "the Bus" are those young people designated as hard to reach, those for whom there is no other provision. This provides a great opportunity to develop contact with young people and further engagement is often not only requested by young people but also actively sought by them. The work of the Youth team is focused on the vulnerable and hard to reach young people, primarily in the west of Carlisle, the main area of influence of the Trust. These are the young people who are not accessing other provisions and whose presence on the streets can give an impression of anti-social behaviour, but who would otherwise miss out on both adult role modelling and peer mentoring that the trust offers through this important provision.
Detached Youth Work
Detached youth work is an integral part of the work of the Youth team. This work involves contacting young people who are not accessing provision. This is done on the streets or wherever the young people choose to meet, and is essential in the overall youth strategy that aims to provide an effective, flexible and quality service which meets the needs of young people.
Detached work is the first step in any youth work programme we deliver. Before the Bus or any other provision, a short period of street work is done. This enables staff to make initial contact with many of the young people they will be working with.