“Putting young people first “

Who we are;Somerset Youth Volunteering Network (based in Glastonbury , Somerset) is an independent charity that was set up in 1999 by a group of young people that wanted to get their peers more actively involved in their communities, but as productive equal members of the community. SYVN does this through supporting volunteering, active citizenship and community action. Supporting mainly young people aged 12 to 25, the charity has gone from strength to strength. Initially working with around 200 young volunteers a year it now supports over 1500 each year and the number is growing. Initially the charity worked in only one district of Somerset, but has grown to cover the entire county and some of the South West. We are one of the founding members of the national Youth Action Network and currently sit on the board of trustees for the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation.In addition to this projects we currently run are:

Youth action teams Local teams of young volunteers that shape and steer and help to staff all the work we support in their communities. Each team also has a specialism which they help manage e.g. Mendip team also manages our media projects. All the teams then feed into the

charity’s board of trustees and a large number will progress to becoming the next generation of our board of trustees (are current board are nearly all in their 20’s)vUPoint Teams of youth reporters, producing positive images,

stories and films about youth volunteering, breaking down stereo types and promoting a positive image of young people in their local community

vlive A project that supports youth bands to design, manage and put on public music events throughout the year. Each event either raises money for a specific charity (chosen by the young people) or raises the profile of an issue that affects young people. The last two events were for the Terrance Higgins Trust and a local anti-bullying campaign. Each had 80+ young volunteers running and performing at the events with audiences of around 700 at each.

Taster days We hold “have a go” events for young people that just want to try out volunteering. Each event is based within the local community and designed to both meet a local need and be fun. Around 15 young people come to each event and are then encouraged to help design and run the next one.

reAction This is a project running in Yeovil for young people at risk of are currently not in Education, Training or Employment. The project supports these young people to improve their life chances, through Training, computer access, and support and guidance.

www.somersetyouth.org.uk

The Busking Project This project seeks out talented young people and gives them the

opportunities perform to the public and raise money for local charities. The Busking Project takes place on most Saturdays from our shop in Yeovil.

The ResidentialAs a thank you to new and older volunteers we run a summer residential which is a bit of fun, and a chance for the volunteers to let off steam. We play games and have laugh’s.

Revolution Festival This is a volunteering festival we have been running in partnership with National

Trust over the last 3 years. The festival brings volunteers from all over the Southwest to come and get involved in conservation tasks. Everyone also have great fun listens to music and eats great food.

Action Sparks ShopThis is our shop in Yeovil. The project is all about community action its a space

for local organisations to us for free and advertise themselves. Its a space where members of the community can seek guidance and signposting

Here are some pictures and events from 2011

www.somersetyouth.org.uk