Restaurant opens doors to opportunities for YWCA Northampton

Young women's futures will be hotting up in the New Year, as restaurant Red Hot World Buffet is giving catering work placements to women from YWCA Northampton.

The restaurant, which will also give free desserts to YWCA's Christmas party on 21^st December, is taking on young women for individual work placements next year to gain catering experience.

The initiative aims to get more young women into work, education or training. With Northampton's youth unemployment raised by 3.5 per cent since the recession began in February 2008, the city is listed as one of the country's 'hot spots' for youth unemployment according to a report from Centre for Cities.

Kathryn White, centre manager of YWCA Northampton said: "This is a great chance for the young women to get their foot on the career ladder and learn about an industry that they're interested in. Initiatives like these are essential to get young people motivated into a career they enjoy."

Helen Dhaliwal, joint owner of Red Hot Buffets said: "Giving the young women at YWCA the opportunity to undertake a work placement with us will give them the confidence to enter or re-enter the workplace. It takes one small choice in life to achieve and hopefully we can show them the way."

YWCA's Christmas party is from 12-2pm on 21^st December at the Salvation Army Hall, 8 Tower Street, Northampton, where young mums will achieve awards for various programmes they attended at the centre and Red Hot Buffets will be providing free desserts.

YWCA Wolverhamton's young women don hard hats and get working

Young women from YWCA Wolverhampton tried their hand at building, carpentry and plumbing at the Women in Construction Day with Wolverhampton Homes.

The young women received training, spoke to other women working in construction and applied for employment and further training. Guest speaker Lynda Waltho MP gave a speech promoting the benefits of female representatives in the construction industry

One of the young women Jude Featherstone said: "I found the whole day really informative. I have an interest in plumbing so I was really excited to do the taster session. Today has given me the motivation and belief that I can learn a trade."

YWCA pop out for lunch with the Queen

It was a day of glamorous hats, tea and cucumber sandwiches for a young woman from YWCA Wolverhampton who attended the Queen's Garden Party yesterday. 

Jude Featherstone, accompanied by YWCA worker Becky Matthews, got the chance to stroll through the famous Garden of Buckingham Palace and to see members of the Royal Family at the party held annually by The Queen.

The Queen is patron of YWCA England & Wales, the charity working with young women from disadvantaged backgrounds. YWCA receives invitations every year for the Queen's Garden Party, which is distributed to its projects around England and Wales.

Jude said: "Even though it was a rainy day I had a great time anyway!"

The single biggest employee volunteering event ever held in the Black Country took place today, with seven businesses using their talents to develop reading gardens, outdoor classrooms and promoting enterprise. Young women from YWCA Wolverhampton took part.

Sponsored nationally by law firm Eversheds LLP, Business in the Community's Give & Gain Day helped more than 2,500 people in the region learn new skills and break down barriers to learning and employment.

Businesses in the Black Country and surrounding areas, including AF Blakemore & Son, Birmingham Midshires, Royal Mail, The Midcounties Co-operative Ltd and the University of Wolverhampton, let more 120 employee volunteers swap their day jobs to take part in the groundbreaking initiative.

David Darlaston, Regional Director at Business in the Community Business in the Community, picked up the story:

"Even though we are in the midst of a major recession, we still managed to pull together a huge event and this goes to show the willingness of local businesses to maintain their CSR agenda and give something back to the communities in which they operate.

"It also highlights how important these volunteering programmes are to the companies involved, as it has been proven that taking part helps improve communication, teamwork, strengthens partnerships and creates a real pride in the organisation you work for."

He continued: "In the Black Country there is a real need to support schools to boost the literacy skills of young people and to help them understand what is needed to get jobs and be 'enterprising'.

Volunteers completed 8 Black Country projects on Give & Gain Day, including literacy fun at Hawbush Primary School and training in life and employability skills at YMCA/YWCA in Wolverhampton.

There were also outdoor reading and normal classrooms created (Croft Primary and Woden Primary), a major push on enterprise and financial literacy.

Paul Cowley, Corporate Affairs Manager, AF Blakemore & Son said: 

"Employee volunteering is a great way for employees to interact with colleagues they wouldn't normally work with, learn new skills they can use in their day job and develop an understanding of how their work influences the area around them.

"We are delighted to take part in a day that provides benefits for everyone involved". 

'Give & Gain Day' is taking place during Volunteers' Week', which is celebrating its 25the year. In total more than 4300 volunteers from 200 businesses participated in activities across 47 locations.

YWCA Northampton to hold mock election

In preparation for the upcoming elections, girls and women at YWCA Northampton will be experiencing democracy firsthand in their own version of an election on 3^rd June.

The women, many of whom are young mums accessing YWCA's services, will choose a political party and create their manifesto showing how they would spend the council's money if they won the election. The mini campaign, lasting for two hours, will culminate in a ballot vote when the winning political party will be announced.  

The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of local elections and get the young women interested in how voting works.

Kathryn White, centre manager at YWCA said: "Creating their party's political manifesto and debating which issues are important to them is a great means for the young women to see politics as a real and essential part of daily life, rather than some far-away concept. This mock election gives them the chance to discuss what needs to change in their community and shows the importance of voting."

The support workers at YWCA used Y Vote Mock Elections materials developed by the Hansard Society, The Electoral Commission and the Department of Education and Skills.

Wolverhampton Homes hold women in construction event

Wolverhampton Homes has hosted a Women In Construction event day to encourage more women into a trade.

The organisation and its Decent Homes partners - Bullock, Frank Haslam Milan and Thomas Vale - organised taster sessions in painting and decorating, plumbing and carpentry.

Women from YWCA and local schools and colleges attended to try out a trade, talk to other women working in construction and to apply for apprentice opportunities.

Pat McFadden MP was also the guest speaker who gave his support to the day.

Shazad Ahmed, project skills co-ordinator from Wolverhampton Homes, said: "Many women came along to the event which was really successful, it was all about breaking down the stereotypes that construction is only for men.

"I know many people who attended also found it really useful to talk to women already in a trade and get their first hand knowledge and experience."

Rachel Symons, YWCA centre manager, said: "The young women really got involved in the day, getting stuck into tasks they never thought they would be doing and getting an insight into a job sector unfamiliar to most of them. It proves that career advice shouldn't always be steering young women into traditionally 'female' jobs, but should be showing the full spectrum of options available to them."

Fun and games to mark women's achievements

YWCA's Wolverhampton centres held two events to mark International Women's Day 2009 supported by Wolverhampton City Council.

On Tuesday 10th March YWCA Wolverhampton at Bilston asked women to bring along another woman to join them in an evening of celebrations. Team games and vase painting was enjoyed by all.

YWCA's Warstones centre marked the occassion with a day of creative activities and a discussion about inspirational women on Wednesday 11th March. The centre offered games for girls aged 11 to 13 in the evening.

Rachel Symons, YWCA Service Manager said, "This is a chance for young women to socialise, get creative and celebrate International Women's Day, a time where all their achievements, however big or small, should be noted and praised."

Mayor and Mayoress of Northampton to join in celebrations

Young women at YWCA Northampton Women's Centre are celebrating International Women's Day by holding an Open Day on Thursday 5^th March where they will exhibit the programmes they access and give presentations on YWCA's parenting programme for young mums.

The young women, who are mostly young mums accessing the centre's education programmes or young-mums-to-be-courses, have arranged an ongoing PowerPoint presentation showing their activities at the centre. Youth workers will give presentations at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm on their important work with young women in the area including education programmes and outreach work in schools on sexual health.

The Mayor of Northampton, Councillor Brian Markham and The Mayoress will attend the event, along with professionals from neighbouring youth organisations, Connexions and local midwives. The event is also open to the general public.

Milly Barry, 16, is one the young mums who accesses YWCA's services. She says: "I started coming to YWCA when I was five months pregnant and had no confidence about myself of being a mother. Now my son is 13 weeks old and my confidence is so much higher."

Kathryn White, YWCA's Centre Manager says: "We wanted this day to be for the young women to show how others how much of a difference it has made for them to access a safe space where they can meet other women, increase their education and confidence and get vital support. As its International Women's Day on 8^th March we all want to send out a message to other women to celebrate their accomplishments, whether it's raising a child or completing a maths course, and feel ready to tackle future challenges."