SYP's Volunteers & Supernovas

Volunteering for an LGBT+ charity enables people to give back to the community and provide peer support that they may have lacked in their own youth. Volunteering has many benefits, it helps people to improve their leadership skills, communication, and build confidence. Being a part of providing a safe space for young people which is a warm, judgement-free environment, can be just as rewarding for them, as it is for the attendees.

The volunteers are a huge part of Space Youth Project and their hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated, they are highly valued within the project. Being a volunteer isn’t just about showing up at a session, it is a commitment and responsibility to create a stable and secure environment, which enables young people to thrive. Being reliable and consistent in young people’s lives builds trust and empowers them to navigate any challenges they may face, and to also ask for support so they can achieve their goals.

The Supernovas is a peer leadership programme within Space Youth Project, where a group of young people volunteer their time and they are the voice of the young people. They are involved in decision making and also have an active part in supporting other young people in the youth group setting. They attend charity events and help raise vital funds for Space Youth Project. Our project is youth led so the opinions of the Supernovas and young people are vital.

When speaking with the Supernovas they say ”they like to help LGBT+ young people not feel so alone”, “they enjoy being part of a community”, “I enjoy giving back to the organisation that has helped me so much”, “Space Youth Project has helped me build confidence, improve my leadership skills and I enjoy being able to help others”.

The CEO and Operations manager want to say a massive THANK YOU to all our volunteers, from trustees, support youth workers, admin volunteers and our supernova's - we couldn't do this without you and Space Youth Project wouldn't exist without you!

Written by Nat, SYP Leader in Charge

Get Dorset Cooking! (The Friendly Food Club)

The Friendly Food Club held a Get Dorset Cooking Live event, that was a "Celebration of local produce, the joy of cooking and power of community" and Space Youth Project were lucky to be invited to attend. Our youth worker Jane and a young person from our Weymouth group attended. They had a great day making spring minestrone soup, lentil and orange salad and peach and raspberry pavlova . The young person joined in confidently and really got stuck in with the cooking and engaging with the people on our table. They made the three fab dishes demonstrated by local chefs using local produce when possible (not all as some foods were not seasonal). The event was really well organised and they had loads of attentive support on hand at all times. Their table was led by lovely Kelly who has done cooking with Dorchester group. She did a fab job of keeping everyone cooking. They did all the prep, cooking and eating together as a table. The young person got to take lots of ingredients home to continue the experience.

Jane and the young person were interviewed at the end by Cameron who is the fund raiser for Friendly Food Club. Jane was able to tell him the massive difference it has made to our Dorchester and Weymouth young people who attend our free youth groups. The young person spoke about their experience of cooking and the impact it has had on them. At the end of the event everyone got to keep their aprons and recipe books.

Look out for the recipes Jane and the young person made in our future newsletters!

Pipe-Cleaner Creatures at SYP Weymouth!

At Weymouth group the young people had so much fun making lots if different pipe cleaner creatures and flowers. Everyone had a busy week so they were happy to chill with some music and craft. Whilst being creative they discussed the beach waste sculpture they are making to go in the Weymouth Seafront display to raise awareness of beach waste and Space Youth Project.

They also discussed books as Space Youth Project is signed up to improve reading for young people as part of the National Literacy Trusts Go All In campaign!