Sam’s Cafe

Sam’s Cafe is a wellbeing hub and cafe for vulnerable people in the Lowestoft community; supported by offender charities to help ex-offenders integrate within the community and help with their transition. It is a space for people to meet and chat with other members of this friendly community.

VIY have helped to make the space and environment at Sam’s Cafe more efficient, welcoming and pleasant to the customers and service users supported by the initiative, by replacing and reformatting worktop space, replacing kitchen units and tiling in the cafe area, plus redecorating externally and internally. The adjustment to the layout has allowed for a greater capacity for higher customer numbers at any one time and to support a greater number of people through their wellbeing services.

The VIY project has also been a great success for local young people, those involved in or at risk of crime, to improve this important community hub which itself works to tackle drivers of deprivation including education, skills, training, employment and health/wellbeing, whilst providing access to skills training and boosting their work-readiness.

The young people: 21 local young people including Suffolk Youth Justice team, Suffolk Council Children & Families team, Access Community Trust, Lapwing (Alternative Provision, Ipswich), East Point Academy, Sunrise Academy, Inspire Suffolk

Impact

• 100% NEET or at risk of disengagement/involvement with crime volunteering on the VIY project and completing skills training
• 17 learners achieved an accreditation in either Painting & Decorating or Health & Safety
• 2 learners have already progressed – one into a Supported Internship with Ixion & one has changed onto a construction-related Level 1 college course due to his experience with VIY (see more detail below)
• 9/21 learners have opted into VIY progressions support

Lauren Goulder, Skills & Employment Lead, Access Community Trust:

“We can’t thank you and the team enough for this! It looks fantastic and the whole company is over the moon with it, what a difference this has made 😊!

In reflection of the programme, it was very beneficial, one of our internal young people is actually now changing college courses after his experience as he enjoyed this so much! Also many more who were wanting to come back for more than 3 days which we take as a positive and that schemes like this really make a difference. The café now looks a new venue, and everything has been done to perfection.

Big shout out to Dom, Sue and David for their operation and extreme hard work throughout, they managed everything as best as possible and always had a smile on their faces for the young people.”

Lapwing, Alternative Provision, Ipswich: “Lewis actually starts on a Supported Internship tomorrow. The experience you were able to give him was invaluable and provided the perfect springboard into that.”

See more on this project featured in the Lowestoft Journal here

Shining Lights Centre

Shrublands

Stamford Hill Community Centre

St Matthew’s Church

St Paul’s Community Trust

Shard End Youth Centre

Shard End Youth Centre is one of the longest serving youth clubs in Birmingham, and is located in one of the most deprived wards of the UK. After running a successful internal painting and decorating project in 2015, we worked with the centre staff to establish VIY’s first Midlands Hub. This was a tremendous success and, over the following four years, with the support of The Asfari Foundation and the Careers & Enterprise Company, we hosted over 200 young people as they did a combination of painting, plumbing and carpentry work on the building.

In total more than 2,400 volunteering hours were contributed by the young people who were referred to the project by over 20 schools and colleges, local JCPs and YOTS as well as users of the club themselves. Local Wickes stores also contributed over £15,000 worth of materials.

Silver Road Community Centre

Southbrook Community Centre

Sunnybank Community Centre

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