About the project

The Aylesbury Youth Motor Project (AYMP) is a CIC that provides educational and vocational motor training to at-risk and disengaged young people, helping them build confidence, skills, and employability – basically, VIY for the motor industry! They offer IMI qualifications and support with Maths and English, working closely with local councils and youth referral partners to engage young people who are furthest from the job market.

This is our first project funded by the Aylesbury Community Board and our second by The Shanly Foundation, with paint donated from our friends at Dulux.

The project:

We supported AYMP’s move to a larger premises, enabling them to engage a wider group of young people. We’ve helped to renovate the space by fitting a new kitchen to enable a breakout space to allow the young people to regulate during the day (particularly important for those who are disengaged in mainstream education/with additional support needs), fitting a donated kitchen into a staff rest area and painting the mezzanine area walls and classrooms, and refreshing internal walls and workshop floors.

The impact:

• Over 30 local NEET/at risk young people volunteered on the project – including many young people referred by AYMP creating this space they will then train in and benefit from, alongside young people from Buckinghamshire Youth Offending Service and local Alternative Provision, Progress Schools – many achieving their Entry Level City & Guilds accreditation in Painting & Decorating
• 14 local volunteers from our friends at Dulux volunteered their time from their HQ in Slough – helping on lots of much-needed paint work to push the centre along
• These improvements will help the new space to launch with a public event in spring 2025, creating a larger, more welcoming, professional environment for more young people to gain hands-on experience in the motor industry – see the brilliant progress visuals on the right!
• Strong appetite for further VIY experience for these young people in Aylesbury, through the referral partners we’re connected with and other youth partners in Aylesbury including Youth Concern – with whom we converted an empty townhouse into a new nine-bed supported accommodation unit