Letchworth Youth Voice Collective formed: Letchworth Youth Visionaries
Peer mentors
recruited and trained in Letchworth secondary schools
families being supported
with family work by Letchworth Family Support Team
financial outcomes for Letchworth families with dependent children through the Letchworth Financial Health Project
As part of Strategy 28, we are working alongside a wide variety of local partners with a shared ambition to make Letchworth a Great Place to Grow Up. Across 6 pillars of work, we are working together to tackle inequalities affecting children, young people and their families locally.
Improving health outcomes
Tackling inequalities in child health and wellbeing, with targeted support for disadvantaged groups.
Mitigating child poverty
Reducing hardship and enabling access to opportunities regardless of socio-economic status, focusing on supporting families who are most likely to be affected by poverty and low income.
Improving learning and employability
Enhancing attainment and skills, with inclusive opportunities for SEND and disadvantaged young people.
Increase access to sports and leisure
Expanding access and reducing gender and income-based barriers to participation.
Enhance cultural opportunities
Widening engagement with specific focus to historically marginalised groups.
Utilise nature to support wellbeing
Embedding nature-based wellbeing, ensuring accessibility for all abilities.
Latest Updates
Building youth voice into a Great Place to Grow Up
In March, we had our first meeting of young people from Letchworth at Broadway Gallery as we work towards building a youth collective to embed youth voice in decision-making. The meeting was facilitated by youth engagement specialists The Mighty Creatives.
10 attendees joined from different youth groups, schools and networks to begin to explore how we can make Letchworth a Great Place to Grow Up for young people. We looked at the assets of the town and what was missing – and talked about the 6 pillars of work, gaining their valuable input on the strategy. We will work with the group to further develop their role to influence decision-making and develop activities for young people in Letchworth.
Find out more about the Youth Collective here.
Funded programmes and projects continue to deliver for Letchworth families
Letchworth Family Support Team supported 69 Letchworth families – which included 154 children and young people- with issues ranging from Special Educational Needs (SEN) to mental health issues.
In the Spring Term, peer mentors from the Peer Mentoring project run by GRIT in Fearnhill School and The Highfield School took part in a focus group to reflect on their involvement in the project so far, any changes they would make for next year and to consider the skills they are developing through their role as mentor.
Find out more about the work of the Letchworth Family Support Team and GRIT.
Finalising the Great Place to Grow Up strategy
We are nearing completion of our Great Place to Grow Up strategy, and developing a case for support to bring in funding to deliver to the ambition of Great Place to Grow Up.
The strategy brings partners together around shared priorities for Letchworth and will support us to bring greater investment into Letchworth to support its children, young people and families.
Our Role
Direct Deliverer
Providing core services (venues, cultural programmes, youth engagement)
Major Funder
Investing significantly in strategic projects aligned with the six pillars
Small Grants Funder
Supporting grassroots and community-led initiatives
Capacity Development Provider
Strengthening skills and systems of partners and volunteers
Volunteer Provider
Mobilising volunteers to add value to service delivery and youth engagement
Leadership and backbone role
Bringing partners together for long-term impact, ensuring alignment and coordination, facilitating discussions, sharing information, and offering consultancy support
Strategic Leads: Stuart Sapsford and Alastair Stuart
Stuart Sapsford, Executive Director - Communities, Culture and Heritage"Our ambition to place children and young people’s voices at the heart of decision-making in Letchworth took an important step forward in Q1. We brought together young people from across the town and local partners at Broadway Gallery for our first shared meeting, marking the start of an exciting journey to explore how young people can help shape local decisions and priorities."
