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Community Campus ’87 offers young people a participative role in determining their present and future housing and personal development opportunities, through it's supported housing, resettlement and youth lead services. The aim is to address the needs of the individual alongside group development.
The support and advice roles come from a team of support workers, resettlement workers and housing managers utilising the variety of skills present within the existing staff team and the wider membership of the organisation. "Campus have helped me through everything I have needed" "I wouldn’t have been able to sort out my benefits alone. They have taught me how to space out my money and pay bills etc"
Young people contribute to all levels of the organisation, they are encouraged to be formal members of the organisation, be involved at project meetings, at tenant meetings and represent the organisation to visitors and project sponsors. The structure allows young people to make decisions and be involved in the running of the organisation with appropriate training and support.
The organisation hopes to utilise their experience of bad housing, homelessness, worklessness, social isolation and disadvantage to aid the organisation in pursuit of it's aims and objectives. The organisation uses peer education methods involving beneficiaries to discuss their experiences with other young people in similar situations.
"My life before Community Campus, was unbelievable, I wasn't happy in my life, didn't know many people, I just didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel"
The organisation now runs a variety of innovative person centred developmental projects focusing upon enabling young people to achieve their potential. The Youth Project and Community allotment project provide both formal and informal structures for participation and development giving young people a valuable stepping stone in their lives.
"Becoming a Campus tenant has boosted my self confidence. It has highlighted strengths that I possess as well as weaknesses"
Young people are central to the organisations development contributing by volunteering (Lunch Club, Young Mums Group, Youth Project Steering Group) and advising the organisations ongoing development. (Pre-Tenancy courses, Building skills programme, working with partners to provide an access to learning, developing more properties, etc)
The organisation works with over 100 young people each week and is faced with an increasing demand for its core services.