Youth
WIDER YOUTH SUPPORT – ACF OUTREACH
ACF Outreach across the UK aims to help crime vulnerable and socially disengaged young people become responsible citizens, by using adventurous and challenging activities to raise their self-esteem, build confidence and broaden their perspective on what they can achieve with their lives.
Youngsters who volunteer to come to a project may have had limited opportunities in life. There can be a problem in their own local community and family due to anti social behaviour or typically, they may be lacking self esteem; have levels of school truancy or have been excluded from school; many have already come to police attention or are socially excluded. Equally they may have been a victim of crime, or just require their self esteem being given a boost.
Participants are selected for the project in conjunction with local education, social work and police authorities. Partnership with the local authorities is vital. The project aims to guide and help these young people to realise that there is another `route' they can take and that, with encouragement and determination, they can achieve targets that they believed were once were unobtainable.
The Provost of West Lothian Council at Outreach
In the Lowlands of Scotland Lothian & Borders Bn ACF provides an Outreach programme for those in the transitional year from Primary to Secondary school. This is a critical time to give young people self belief and confidence.
ACF Outreach uses adventurous and challenging activities to raise the self esteem of these young people; to build confidence, give them a positive purpose and assist them in realising their full potential. Through acknowledgement and praise, young volunteers on the programme soon realise that the recognition received is in itself rewarding and that their achievements, however small, are worthwhile.
On the climbing wall
Vital to the success of ACF Outreach is the use of positive role models, in particular the cadets already in the Cadet Force and the ACF's volunteer Adult Staff. ACF Outreach has been running in areas of the UK for 12 years and there is a great deal of independently gathered evidence of how it has helped young people - particularly in building their confidence and preventing them from becoming involved with crime, drugs or simply dropping out of the school system.
ACF volunteers help the participants
For more information on Outreach contact the National Co-ordinator at paul.hayden@hotmail.co.uk