West Midlands

To hear more about our work in the West Midlands, contact Programme Manager for the region, owen@teamviy.com.

For opportunities for young people in the West Midlands, contact jess@teamviy.com.

Inspire Youth

Action on Disability

Aylesbury Youth Motor 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

Bassetlaw Citizens Advice

Bradby Club

Bradwell Community Centre

Cadge Road Community Centre

Canley Community Centre

Refreshing Canley Community Centre, a rundown centre in a highly deprived part of Coventry tackling the drug trade and knife crime, was the first of six projects working in partnership with Think Active – working together to help more local people become more active across Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire.

The project

Over 2 weeks, we painted & decorated the whole centre to increase appeal/use of the centre for external groups to use for physical activity, private and community events.

“As a charitable organisation ourselves, the centre hasn’t been painted in 10 years due to slim resourcing and funds. In order to be able to best serve our community, through our food bank, local youth groups tackling knife crime and soon, local sports activities like yoga, dodgeball and fitness classes, we need to be looking our best to attract more people to use the centre and our services, whilst feeling comfortable to be in a bright, welcoming space, when they’re here. This full redecoration of the centre will do just that.”Anne-Marie Corbett, Centre Manager, Canley Community Centre

See our full Think Active partnership here

The young people: 10 local young volunteers, from Coventry College and Hereward College

The impact:

• Targeted local impact into an area and community space that need help the most

• More usage and financial stability through private hire reported through greater interest from groups including a dance school, social gatherings, community groups and increased youth activity

• Increased engagement from young people, elderly people and people from low socio-economic backgrounds

• Four partner volunteers involved from the technical team at our Trade Partners, Dulux

Accreditations gained: 7 Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations in Painting & Decorating and Health & Safety

Carlton Youth Centre

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