Aim 1: Building Skills

BUILDING SKILLS, CONFIDENCE & PARTICIPATION

The BME Skills Project has been highly welcomed by the ACC board, particularly because of how it has guided the organisation in ensuring best practices across its operations.”

BME Skills Project

During 2019, in its second project year, the BME Skills project worked with 17 BME community groups in Swansea, Wrexham and Cardiff, recruited 52 volunteers to support these groups, held a successful conference and several training seminars. This is a 3 year partnership project led by EYST and delivered in partnership with SCVS, C3SC and AVOW, and funded via the National Lottery Fund’s Third Sector Skills Programme. Participating groups included: Polish Integration Support Centre, Rhos Inclusion Café in Wrexham, Renew Mind Centre, African Community Centre and Chinese in Wales Association in Swansea and WSSAG Wales, South Riverside Community Development Centre and Butetown Community Association in Cardiff.

BME Youth Invest Project

We were very grateful to receive funding from the European Social Fund via WCVA’s Active Inclusion Programme to deliver the BME Youth Invest Project in Cardiff and Swansea. This enabled us to offer paid supported 16-24 week jobs to 12 young people during the year who were hosted by a variety of BME organisations including SubSaharan Advisory Panel, Chinese Community Centre, Citizens Cymru, African Community Centre, Rumba Café, Women Seeking Sanctuary Group and EYST! Individuals gained skills, confidence and experience, and the organisations have gained increased wo/man power helping to deliver their own services to the community! Of the 12 people place, 6 got full-time jobs, 2 went into HE, 1 into SelfEmployment and one got a Welsh Government Apprenticeship!!

Progression Project

This was the fourth and final year of the Queen’s Young Leaders- funded Progression Project, a partnership project with Tanyard Youth Project and Cwmbran Centre for Young People. During the year, we supported 27 young people to progress towards employability, of these: • 25 (93%) of these young people increased their confidence • 18 (67%) reduced their isolation • 21 (78%) gained a qualification • 24 (89%) progressed into education, volunteering or training “ 'M’ has gained confidence all the time and with encouragement will now take part in activities. He is feeling less isolated and more positive about his future prospects." Project worker

An end of project celebration event was held in the Senedd in November 2019, sponsored by Lynne Neagle AM.

Refugees Contribute

In 2019, the Refugees Contribute project completed its 3rd year, we recruited 36 new volunteers who between them contributed 2428 hours over the year. These volunteers represented 17 different nationalities across 4 continents including Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Zambia. Huge thanks to all the volunteers, the project officer Jami and the funder Lloyds Foundation. “ I am proud to have met the people working very hard behind the scene to make EYST flow smoothly. The door is open to all sort of help, with professional advice from education/jobs/social and health to family life /migration advocacy and sign postings. I feel am ready to give back to society and community as a whole” RCP Volunteer

Homework Club

This year, we continued to run a successful homework club in both our Swansea and Cardiff offices. We recruited 28 new volunteers across Swansea and Cardiff as youth tutors, with all volunteers receiving safeguarding training. Between them our Homework Club Volunteers completed 612 hours of volunteering and 174 hours of training. Volunteers, enabled by this Volunteering Wales Grant, supported 278 beneficiaries through volunteering!

“I enjoy Homework Club. It provides good help towards my grades and how I perceive things. I enjoy all my tutors, they are wonderful, kind and helpful."

Homework Club Tutee