LATEST NEWS. Since the last issue we have said goodbye to Catrin Roberts and we wish her all the best in her new job with North Wales Housing.

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1 A WORD FROM SIÂN It s hard to believe that s it s the end of March already! This is a special edition of the newsletter with Gisda s new logo following consultation this is the most popular logo because it is professional and clear to read. There will be a new website to follow before the summer as well. The year is gathering a pace and Gisda staff are continuously looking for new ideas and innovative ways of working with young people. We have seen an increasing demand for Services for young people and we seek to respond to that challenge. You will receive more information in this newsletter on the developments in Gisda; including our new Information Centre and also our Exciting Social Enterprise; these services are in addition to our existing core services which includes: key workers, mediation, counselling, personal advisor, project workers, educational work and preventative work in schools and the community. The year ahead will be challenging in terms of ensuring that we provide the most effective service possible for young people. We will be looking at a number of options to ensure value for money also preserving to identify sources of funding, to ensure Gisda continues to be the leading provider of services to homeless and vulnerable young people in Gwynedd. For young people, it s not new to hear the news from day to day that there will be changes in benefits, lack of jobs and a number of young people without qualifications. There is a very dark cloud over young people in 2013 and the years to come. The lack of growth in the economy undoubtedly affects the morale and mental health of young people. Our intention at Gisda is to guarantee we will be there to support them through these difficult times and to look at the positive options available for them. LATEST NEWS Since the last issue we have said goodbye to Catrin Roberts and we wish her all the best in her new job with North Wales Housing. Congratulations to Daniel Hall and Andrew Smalley for successfully completing and passing their NVQ 3 in Health and Social Care well done! All of the staff came together on the 6th of March to participate in Gisda s Team Day. We had a preview of the Cinematic screen, a communication workshop and shared information amongst each other. Gisda have been accredited with the Green Dragon kite mark which proves our commitment to the environment! We have been approved as a 'Mindful Employer' organisation which shows our support towards mental health issues within the workplace. Siân Elen Tomos Chief Executive The staff in front of the Cinematic on the Team Day Newsletter: Page 1

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3 At the Information Centre Stencils on the shop wall that have been done by the young people. Gisda s information centre was opened in February by our Honorary President, Mr Winston Roddick. It was a very successful morning with many showing their support. Several young people came to see what was on offer as well as our two representatives in the House of Commons and the Assembly; Mr Alun Ffred Jones AM and Mr Hywel Williams MP. This is a pilot project to see what young people are looking for, our hope in the long term is to have one building where Gisda s staff and young people can work together with sufficient resources to carry out activities and educational work. Our hope is that the pilot will demonstrate the increasing need and demand for services. Lucian and Kelsey the Peer Mentors enjoying a cup of tea Winston Roddick North Wales Police Commissioner Sian and Hywel Williams MP Alun Fred AM Newsletter; Page 3

4 The service users that took part in Coed-y-Brenin mountain biking have worked well in completing workbooks with Tracey & Sarah over the past few weeks. As a reward Sarah & Tracey took Jack, Katie & Dominic to Coed-y-Brenin where they had a professional coach taking them on the numerous tracks at various levels. The young people said that they had enjoyed every minute of it and wished they could it again, even though it hurt to sit down after hours on the bike! The children enjoying themselves at the Den Llanberis Newsletter: Page 4

5 Sophie said: Before the session I couldn t think of any moves, even though I studied dance in college. I enjoyed the workshop and it increased my confidence, I am very thankful for the opportunity. Calvyn said: It was a laugh, I d like to do it again. Harri, the Peer Mentor Co-ordinator goes into schools and colleges facilitating homeless prevention workshops, for fun they show pictures of celebrities and they guess if they have experienced homelessness or not. The kids and young people find this very interesting as it shows that anyone can become homeless! The peer mentors and Harri have been facilitating mentoring days in Caernarfon since the beginning of the year where they have been holding activities with a group of young people. During these days they started the Motif Figure stencils project. The crew call themselves G.A.G (Gisda Artist Group) and have been successful in receiving funding to purchase equipment to conduct community art workshops. The crew of 4 young people have come together to do their own artwork that was inspired by the street artist Banksy. Following the original artwork sessions the group had the opportunity to work and volunteer with the Prince s Trust using their skills to run sessions in the community. By now the group have received 1,500 from the Prince s Trust to buy computers, projectors and art software. It is proposed the group will hold their first session in Maesgerichen in May as part of an adult learning activities week as the launch of the project.. Newsletter; Page 5

6 Caernarfon Workshop Blaenau Ffestiniog Workshop Newsletter; Page 6

7 In the last issue the Peer Mentors; Kelsey, Rachel and Lucian had a quick chat with us. Here we are catching up with them to see how they are getting on. What have you been up to in the last couple of months? We have been running mentoring days two days a week doing activities such as cooking, arts and crafts, games and giving advice to the young people. We have also been working on the Cinematic project, we went to Caernarfon Golf Club to film the screen to make an advert. We will also be filming in Portmeirion, Black Rocks Beach, Nant Gwrtheyrn and Caernarfon Castle. We have also been doing individual activities for example Kelsey has been doing the wake up calls and breakfast club twice a week in Hafan Hostel, Rachel has recently gone on a parenting trip to Bangor and Llanberis Play centres and Lucian has been mountain biking with the service users. Do you enjoy your job? Rachel: I enjoy every aspect of my job. I Enjoy working with young people. Lucian: I enjoy my work because it is different every day. I enjoy the mentoring days the most because of the different projects, at the moment we are working on a story board on how to get your life back on track, this will be shown through graffiti. I also enjoy catching up with the service users on these days. Kelsey: I enjoy my everyday work, especially the different activities. What do you get out of our job? Lucian: Helping other that are in the same position that I once was gives me confidence. Rachel: I gain a lot of new experiences, I get to work with young people and share my experiences of being homeless. I want to give the help I received from GISDA back to the other service users. Kelsey: I have gained a lot of new experiences already, and my confidence has grown a lot by helping others that are in the same position that I once was. Has GISDA opened new doors for you? Lucian: GISDA has shown me both sides, from being supported to being employed as a peer mentor. This job has given me many experiences that I can now use with confidence. Rachel: GISDA has opened many new doors for me. It has made me realise that no one is alone and there is hope for everyone. Working here has made me change as a person in different ways and I hope to gain a lot of experience whilst here so I can move on further in life. Kelsey: I have done a lot of courses with Gisda such as anger management, drugs now, Child Protection, peer mentoring and I am going on a confidence course in Bangor in the next couple of weeks. Lucian, Kelsey and Rachel busy doing a range of activities at the weekly mentoring days. Newsletter; Page 7

8 What s your job role? Business Coordinator dealing with many different aspects, from coordinating and administrating the Board, Management of activities to organising events, managing campaigns, the website, volunteers and marketing the company. Take us through your typical week No day is ever the same; one day I can be designing the quarterly newsletter, sending out press releases, putting photos on the website and writing on social media, another I could be translating minutes, researching for grants, writing a policy or signposting people to various opportunities. Another could be planning/organising a campaign/event to raise awareness for Gisda or meeting with other organisations to discuss fundraising, or speaking with people who want to volunteer their time. What do you think are the best aspects of your job and why? The variety of work within the role as well as interviewing the young people who provide their real-life stories for our publications. It is inspirational to see them overcoming obstacles and becoming more confident by believing in themselves. Tell us about your hobbies and interests I enjoy watching my 14 year old son play rugby on Sundays, travelling, reading, writing poetry, walking and spending time with my family and friends. Being outnumbered by boys I also now enjoy watching Top Gear! Do you have a role model or someone who inspires you and if so, why? The world is full of inspirational people and sometimes we don t need to look further than within our own circle of family and friends. I personally admire Albert Einstein and also like this quote from the Dalai Lama Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible Although not always easy I aspire to live up to this. GISDA would like to thank the following for their support since the last issue: Thanks to Alun Ffred Jones AM, Hywel Williams PM and Winston Roddick The North Wales Police Commissioner for coming to the information centre s open day. Thanks to everyone for helping with the Daily Post Wish Campaign. We collected tokens and received We would also like to thank Daily Post for their donation. Thanks to everyone who came to Bangor TESCO to help pack bags on the 16th of February. We received 303. We will be going to Caernarfon TESCO on the 6th of April, if anyone wants to volunteer we would be very grateful. Thank you very much for the 780 in donations towards GISDAs services from the following: Cyngor Tref Caernarfon, Haf Jones from Llanfair, Cyng. Dylan Jones, Penrallt Baptist Church, B E Jones, Nationwide, Capel Waunfawr, Cwmni Da, Cyngor Tref y Bala, Cyngor Cymuned Buan. Contact: Tŷ Rhydalun, Penrallt Uchaf, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1PR Phone: Ffax: gisda@gisda.co.uk Newsletter; Page 8